THE  STORY  OF 

JOHN  ADAMS 

A  NEW  ENGLAND 
SCHOOLMASTER 


AT    LOS  ANGELES 


THE  STORY  OF 

JOHN  ADAMS 

A   NEW   ENGLAND 

SCHOOLMASTER 


THE  STORY  OF 

JOHN   ADAMS 

A  NEW  ENGLAND 

SCHOOLMASTER 


BY 

M. 

E.  B. 

^V.'  ''~^ 

AND 

H. 

G.  B. 

NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

M  D  C  C  C  C 


15         1 


COPYRIGHT    1900 
BY    CHARLES    SCRIBNEr's    SONS 


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TO 

AUNT  EMILY 

The  merry  child 

The  denjQted  daughter 

The  trusted  fellouu-^worker 

And  the  strong  staff 

Of  her  Father's 

Declin  ing  yea  rs 

THIS   BOOK   IS   AFFECTIONATELY 
DEDICATED 


o  ' 

CO  I 


t     iSj 


I 


.'562m '^. 


«*  The  high  stern-featured  beauty 

Of  plain  de^-votedness  to  duty. 

Steadfast  and  still,  nor  paid  ^ith  mortal  praise. 

But  finding  amplest  recompense 

For  life' s  ungarlanded  expense 

In  avork  done  squarely  and  unnvasted  days.'"'' 

— Lowell. 


THOSE  who  are  familiar  with  the  educa- 
tional history  of  Massachusetts  will  re- 
member that  for  many  years  Dr.  John 
Adams  was  the  Principal  of  one  of  her  most 
important  schools^  the  Phillips  Academy  in  Ando- 
ver.  Others  may  chance  to  recall  that  he  has 
his  own  little  niche  in  literature  as  the  schoolmaster 
of  Dr.  Oliver  IVendell  Holmes^  and  the  subject  of 
the  often  quoted  lines^ 

''  Uneasy  lie  the  heads  of  all  that  rule^ 
His  most  of  all  whose  Kingdo?n  Is  a  school." 

And  to  still  others  his  name  will  come  with  a 
claim  upon  their  affectionate  interest ^  as  being  that 
of  the  father  of  one  so  widely  known  and  deeply 
loved  as  was  Dr.  William  Adams^  the  pastor  of 
the  Madison  Square  Church  in  New  York  City. 

vii 


//  is  to  the  last  connection  that  this  little  book 
owes  its  origin.  Dr.  Adams  long  felt  that  his 
fathers  work  was  worthy  of  some  permanent 
memorial.  Outwardly  uneventful^  his  ninety  years 
were  full  of  more  than  ordinary  usefulness.  T'o 
have  built  up  one  of  the  historic  schools  of  New 
England ;  to  have  set  the  impress  of  a  sterling 
character  upon  some  thousands  of  American  girls 
and  boys ;  to  have  become^  in  extreme  old  age,  a 
pioneer  of  civilization  in  a  great  western  State — 
this  surely  is  to  deserve  the  grateful  memory  of 
those  who  come  after. 

It  was  Dr.  Adams' s  hope  himself  to  tell  the 
story  which  is  here  briefly  given.  But  in  the 
press  of  his  busy  life  the  necessary  leisure  never 
came.  It  has  been  left  for  a  later  generation  to  take 
up  the  labor  of  love.  The  materials  which  time 
has  spared  for  such  a  sketch  are  scanty.  Yet  it 
is  hoped  that  they  may  be  sufficient  to  preserve  for 
John  Adams  s  descendants  the  essential  features  of 
a  character  at  once  intrinsically  noble,  and  inter- 
esting as  a  pure  New  England  type  of  a  past 
century. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER   I  PAGE 

Early  Days o 


CHAPTER   II 

A  New  England  Academy    ....     29 

CHAPTER   III 

The  Schoolmaster  at  Work  ....      57 

CHAPTER   IV 

Leaves  from  Old  Letters       ....      83 

CHAPTER  V 

The  Schoolmaster's  Home    .        .        .        .107 


CHAPTER   VI 

Father  and  Son 


^39 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VII  PAGE 

Old  Andover 167 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Changing  Scenes       .        .        .        .        .       .187 

CHAPTER   IX 

"  Father  Adams  " 227 

CHAPTER  X 

Eventide  ....         ....  247 

APPENDIX 

Genealogical  Tables 267 

I.     Ancestry  of  John  Adams 
II.     Descendants  of  John  Adams 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 

John  Adams,  LL.D Title 

"  The  Classic  Hall  " 60 

The  Schoolmaster's  Home iio 

John  Ripley  Adams,  D.D. 130 

William  Adams,  D.D.,  LL.D.       .     .     .  142 

"Father  Adams"   .-^ 230 

Memorial  Tablet 266 


CHAPTER  I 

EARLY  DAYS 


"  It  is  good  for  a  man  that  he  bear  the  yoke  in  his  youth. '^ 

— Lamentations  3:27. 


CHAPTER     I 

EARLY    DAYS 

1772-1810 


THE  New  England  Schoolmaster,  whose 
story  forms  the  subject  of  the  follow- 
ing pages,  was  born  on  the  eighteenth 
day  of  September,  1772,  near  the  town  of  Can- 
terbury, Connecticut.  His  forefathers  were 
simple  farming  folk,  who  for  several  generations 
preceding  his  birth  had  lived  in  patriarchal 
fashion  in  the  old  homestead,  son  succeeding 
father  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  In  a  more 
remote  past,  the  line  of  his  ancestry  unites  with 
that  of  the  two  Presidents — John  Adams  and 
John  Quincy  Adams. 

On  the  first  page  of  a  notebook  in  which 
the  Schoolmaster  was  accustomed  to  record  the 
musings  of  his  later  life  we  find,  copied  in  a  clear, 

3 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

firm  hand^  which  shows  no  trace  of  the  eighty 
years  and  more  which  had  passed  over  the  head 
of  the  writer,  this  epitaph  :  '^ 

In  memory 

of 
HENRT  ADAMS 

who  took  hh  ji'ight  from  the  Dragon  persecu- 
tion in  Devonshire^  England^  and  alighted 
with  eight  sons  near  Mount  Wollaston.  f 
One  of  his  sons  returned  to  England.  After 
taking  time  to  explore  the  country.,  four  re- 
moved to  Medfield  and  the  neighboring  towns 
— two  to  Chelmsford.  One  only — Joseph — 
who  lies  buried  here  at  his  left  hand.,  remained 
here  and  was  an  original  proprietor  of  the  town 
of  Braintree. 

To  which  the  writer  adds  this  note  :  "  Henry 
Adams  was  the  great-great-grandfather   of  the 


*  The  original  is  inscribed  on  a  monument  in  the  old  church- 
yard at  Quincy,  Mass.,  erected  by  President  John  Adams. 
The  monument  also  commemorates  the  "  piety,  humility, 
simplicity,  prudence,  patience,  temperance,  frugality,  industry 
and  perseverance"  of  the  Adams  ancestry. 

■j-  Mt.  Wollaston  was  that  part  of  Massachusetts  Bay  which 
was  incorporated  in  1640  as  the  town  of  Braintree.  It  included 
what  is  now  Quincy,  Braintree,  and  Randolph. 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

President,  John  Adams  ;  Henry  Adams  was  the 
great-great-great-grandfather  of  my  humble  self, 
John  Adams." 

From  Henry  Adams's  son  Joseph  descended 
the  line  of  the  Presidents  ;  from  an  older 
brother  Peter,  that  in  which  our  interest  for  the 
present  centers. 

In  1652  Peter  Adams  appears  in  Medfield, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  is  recorded  as  having 
a  family  of  three  persons.  In  the  Indian  raid 
of  1675  ^^^  house  was  burned,  and  he  was  one 
of  the  signers  of  a  petition  to  the  Great  and 
General  Court  for  aid.  He  died  in  1690, 
leaving  eight  children. 

The  name  of  his  son,  John,  first  appears  in 
the  town  records  in  connection  with  the  anti- 
quated office  of  Hog  Reave.  The  duties  of 
this  office  were  to  reclaim  straying  hogs  and  re- 
store them  to  the  pound.  For  some  unknown 
reason  it  was  usually  given  to  a  newly  married 
man,  and  was  held  by  John  Adams  in  the  year 
of  his  marriage  to  Miss  Michal  Bloyce  of 
Watertown,  Massachusetts.  What  his  prin- 
cipal   occupation    was  is    nowhere  stated ;  but 

5 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

in  171 8  he  appears  as  a  man  of  means  able 
to  buy  an  estate  of  three  hundred  and  forty 
acres  in  the  town  of  Canterbury,  and  to  erect 
thereon  a  dwelHng.  He  had  twelve  children, 
all  born  in  Medfield.  In  1724  he  died,  leav- 
ing a  will,  from  which  we  make  the  following 
extract :  "  To  my  son,  Samuel,  I  give  the 
quarter  part  of  my  wearing  clothes  ;  to  my 
three  sons  now  living  with  me,  the  home  lot, 
to  be  equally  divided  between  them  ;  which 
lot  is  bounded  south  by  my  son  Richard  Ad- 
ams's land,  west  by  my  son  Samuel's  land,  east 
by  the  hundred  acres  I  purchased  of  William 
Johnson,  also  three-fourths  of  the  forty  acres 
more  lying  northwest  of  the  home  lot  which  I 
bought  of  William  Johnson  and  Mr.  Paine  for 
the  convenience  of  a  saw-mill.  To  my  cozen 
(/.  d".,  niece)  Ruth  Adams,  who  now  lives  with 
me,  I  leave  five  pounds,  provided  she  continue 
to  live  with  my  wife  during  her  whole  time  "  ; 
that  is,  during  her  minority. 

John  Adams,  the  second,  one  of  the  three 
sons  who  were  living  at  home  in  Canterbury  at 
the  time  of  their  father's  death,  has  left  but  little 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

trace  upon  the  pages  of  local  history.  One  fact 
alone  has  come  down  to  us  from  which  we  gain 
the  impression  that  he  must  have  possessed  his 
full  share  of  those  qualities  of  force  and  inde- 
pendence which  afterwards  characterized  his  de- 
scendants. In  1746  we  find  his  name  with  that 
of  his  wife  upon  the  list  of  those  who  formed 
the  first  Separatist  Church  of  Canterbury.  * 


*  The  Separatist  movement  in  Connecticut  (i  740-1 760)  was 
a  protest  against  the  authority  of  the  established  State  Church. 
Its  leaders  desired  to  be  released  from  paying  church  rates,  and 
asserted  the  rights  of  the  individual  church  to  choose  and  call 
its  own  ministers,  and  to  listen  to  lay  evangelists.  They  repu- 
diated the  principle  that  every  citizen  was  a  church  member, 
and  admitted  to  their  fellowship  such  only  as  had  made  a  public 
profession  of  the  Christian  faith.  Although  pioneers  in  the 
battle  for  religious  freedom  in  Connecticut,  the  Separatists 
failed,  partly  because  of  lack  of  organization,  partly  because, 
rejecting  human  knowledge  in  favor  of  an  inward  spiritual  illu- 
mination, they  were  soon  at  the  mercy  of  ignorant  and  fanatical 
leaders,  and  partly  because  of  the  spread  of  the  Baptist  move- 
ment, which  in  many  ways  more  wisely  represented  the  princi- 
ples for  which  they  stood.  The  Separatists  were  severely  dealt 
with  by  the  authorities  in  Connecticut  5  they  were  expelled 
from  the  State  Legislature  and  from  Yale  College,  and  were  al- 
lowed to  hold  no  official  positions,  while  the  missing  church  rates 
were  often  collected  under  circumstances  of  cruelty  and  injustice. 
The  Separatist  Church  of  Canterbury  was  prominent  in  the 
Colony  as  the  first  which  formally  avowed  **  New  Light"  prin- 
ciples and  renounced  its  fellowship  with  the  established  church. 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

The  schoolmaster's  father,  also  called  John 
Adams,  was  the  son  of  this  heretical  farmer. 
From  the  little  that  we  know  of  him,  he  seems 
to  have  been  a  man  of  personal  bravery,  of  up- 
right character  and  of  strong  family  affections. 
In  1769  he  married  at  Putney,  Vermont,  Mary, 
the  daughter  of  deacon  Joshua  and  Jemima 
Parker,  and  brought  her  back  to  live  in  the 
Canterbury  homestead.  He  enlisted  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
later  attained  the  rank  of  Captain  of  Militia. 
When  peace  was  restored  he  returned  to 
Canterbury,  where  he  passed  the  remainder 
of  his  days  quietly  cultivating  the  fields  inher- 
ited from  his  father.  He  was  a  devoted  parent, 
always  ready  to  make  every  sacrifice  for  the 
good  of  his  children  ;  and  for  his  time  he  was 
unusually  gentle  in  his  methods  of  dealing  with 
them.  "  My  father,"  writes  the  schoolmaster, 
"  never  used  the  rod  as  a  means  of  correction  ; 
yet  his  children  (there  were  ten  of  us)  were 
trained  to  obedience." 

John  Adams,  the  fourth  of  his  name,  and  the 
subject  of  the  present  memoir,  was  the  eldest  of 

8 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

these  ten  children.  When  a  very  old  man,  living 
in  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  he  wrote  out  for  the 
benefit  of  his  grandchildren  some  reminiscences 
of  his  early  life.  Though  far  from  being  a 
complete  record,  they  give  us  much  information 
that  is  interesting  and  valuable.  Among  other 
things,  they  bring  before  us  a  vivid  picture  of 
his  boyhood  on  the  Canterbury  farm.  Here 
we  find  "  little  John,"  a  boy  of  judgment  and 
ability  beyond  his  years,  bearing  an  important 
part  in  the  simple  domestic  economy.  "  Early 
and  late  I  acted  as  my  father's  teamster,"  and, 
in  addition,  "  most  of  the  chores  and  errands 
were  put  upon  John."  "  But,  never  mind,"  he 
writes  cheerfully,  "  I  grew  strong  and  hearty, 
and  could  not  have  done  less  for  parents  who 
had  done  so  much  for  me."  When  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  nine  his  father  considered 
him  old  enough  to  be  sent  alone  and  on  horse- 
back to  Providence,  a  distance  of  thirty-six 
miles,  to  carry  two  boxes  of  butter  to  market 
and  to  bring  home  -a  cow.  We  give  the  story 
of  the  expedition  in  his  own  words  :  "As  I  en- 
tered the  town  a  pleasant,  honest-looking  woman 

9 


i 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

hailed  me  from  the  door  of  her  shop.  *  What 
have  you  there  to  sell,  my  little  man  ? '  '  But- 
ter.' *  Come,  let  me  see  it ;  I  will  give  you 
more  than  anyone  in  the  town.'  The  boxes 
were  taken  down  and  opened.  '  What  is  the 
price  ? '  I  replied,  according  to  previous  in- 
structions, 'A  shilling  a  pound.'  '  The  butter 
is  sweet,  but  the  price  is  extravagant.  The  best 
butter  in  the  market  costs  only  ten  pence,  and 
this  would  not  bring  eight  pence,  for,  see,  it  is 
beginning  to  melt.'  I  had  been  accustomed  to 
believe  good,  motherly  women,  and  had  never 
learned  to  distrust  those  who  make  their  living 
by  buying  and  selling.  So  I  weighed  out  my 
butter  and  received  for  it  ten  pence  a  pound. 
This  being  done,  I  went  to  the  house  of  Dea- 
con Gibbons,  where  I  was  to  spend  the  night. 
He  inquired  at  what  shop  I  had  sold  my  but- 
ter, and  immediately  went  out  and  bought  sev- 
eral pounds  of  it,  paying  something  over  a  shil- 
ling a  pound.  He  laughed  at  me  for  not  being 
sharp  enough  for  such  shopkeepers.  The  fol- 
lowing morning  I  started  home,  driving  the 
cow,  but  night  overtook   me  before  I   reached 


lO 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

Canterbury,  and  I  was  obliged  to  find  shelter 
in  a  house  by  the  roadside.  When  I  returned 
to  my  father's  house,  bringing  the  cow  with  me, 
all  were  rejoiced  to  see  me  safe  and  sound,  and 
commended  such  manly  conduct  in  a  boy  so 
young.  But  when  I  related  the  story  of  the 
butter,  they  all — uncles,  aunts  and  all — spatted 
their  hands  together  and  laughed  most  heartily. 
This  was  more  than  I  could  bear,  and  I  had  no 
redress  but  to  exclaim,  '  I  declare  I  will  never 
again  believe  what  a  woman  says  to  me  ! '  Fif- 
teen years  later,  when  for  the  first  time  I  brought 
my  wife  to  my  old  home,  one  of  my  uncles 
said,  '  Well,  John,  are  you  still  of  the  opinion 
that  you  will  never  believe  what  a  woman  says 
to  you  ? '  What  reply  I  made  I  do  not  re- 
member. It  was  probably  something  like  this  : 
'  When  1  said  that,  I  was  angry,  for  you  all 
laughed  at  me.  No,  I  do  verily  believe  that 
there  are  a  vast  number  of  women  who  will  not 
deceive.  Two  I  know  are  perfectly  honest — 
my  mother  and  my  wife.'  " 

When  John  was  fifteen  years  old  he  drove  a 
flock  of  his  father's  sheep  to  the  Boston  mar- 

II 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

ket,  ninety  miles  distant.  He  made  the  jour- 
ney without  once  allowing  his  charges  to 
turn  out  of  the  way  or  take  a  wrong  path. 
This  seems  to  have  been  considered  quite  a 
feat  for  a  boy  of  his  years.  John  Adams,  the 
schoolmaster,  was  fond  of  referring  to  it,  and 
often  quoted  a  maxim  learned  at  the  time, 
"  Take  care  of  the  ringleaders  and  the  rest  will 
follow  of  themselves." 

While  the  farmer's  lad  was  thus  quietly  tak- 
ing his  first  lessons  in  the  school  of  practical 
experience,  great  events  were  stirring  the  out- 
side world.  Little  John  was  four  years  old  at 
the  time  of  the  signing  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  He  was  a  stripling  when  the 
Federal  Constitution  was  adopted.  When 
Washington  was  inaugurated,  he  had  reached 
the  age  of  seventeen.  Referring  to  these 
troubled  times  he  writes  as  follows  : 

"  My  father  was  deeply  interested  in  the 
cause  of  Independence.  He  rendered  much 
service  and  suffered  many  losses.  Several 
uncles  and  cousins,  and  many  of  our  neighbors 
and   townsmen   were   engaged   in   that   bloody 

IZ 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

strife.  Some  fell  in  battle  ;  some  sickened  and 
died  ;  some  came  home  with  ghastly  wounds. 
Oh,  with  what  eagerness  did  I  listen  to  their 
narratives  of  sufferings, battles,  and  hair-breadth 
escapes  !  My  uncle,  Samuel  Adams,  had  been 
in  service  through  the  war,  as  one  of  Washing- 
ton's life  guards,  and  was  an  eye  witness  of  the 
scene  at  Yorktown  when  Lord  Cornwallis  re- 
signed his  sword.  One  of  our  neighbors  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Often  have 
I  head  him  describe  his  sensations  of  terror  as 
the  British  marched  up  in  battle  array.  But 
after  he  had  discharged  his  gun  a  few  times,  he 
felt  no  fear.  He  remained  in  his  trench  until 
the  enemy  began  to  jump  in  ;  and  then,  per- 
ceiving that  his  comrades  had  retreated,  he 
broke  his  gun  over  the  head  of  a  British  sol- 
dier, leaped  out,  and  fled  for  his  life. 

"  I  well  remember  the  scenes  which  occurred 
at  the  time  of  the  treachery  of  Arnold,  when 
he  burned  New  London,  and  made  seventy 
widows  in  the  town  of  Groton  in  a  single  day. 
As  we  were  riding  to  plow,  we  heard  at  the 
distance  of  thirty  miles  the  booming  of  can- 
's 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

non,  and  soon  after  a  man  came  toward  us 
urging  his  horse  to  full  speed  and  crying, 
*  Turn  out,  Turn  out ;  the  British  are  in  New 
London.'  In  less  than  half  a  hour  my  father 
was  off,  accoutered  for  war,  and  oh,  my  mother 
wept  bitterly. 

"  I  remember  the  excitement  when  Bur- 
goyne's  soldiers  were  marched  through  the  coun- 
try as  prisoners  of  war ;  when  Cornwallis  was 
taken  at  Yorktown  ;  when  the  war  closed,  our  in- 
dependence was  acknowledged,  the  Constitution 
adopted,  and  Washington  chosen  President." 

Although  John  Adams's  parents  were  not 
themselves  highly  educated,  they  had  the  New 
Englander's  respect  for  learning  and  were  am- 
bitious to  give  their  sons  a  liberal  education. 
When  John  was  nineteen  years  old  they  sent 
him  to  Yale  College.  As  the  result  of  much 
painful  economy  they  had  laid  by  the  sum  of 
six  hundred  dollars  which  was  then  enough  to 
carry  a  boy  through  his  college  course.  They 
stipulated,  however,  in  the  interests  of  John's 
younger  brothers,  that  he  should,  when  able, 
return  them  one  hundred  dollars. 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

The  memoranda  of  President  Stiles  show 
that  John  Adams  was  admitted  to  college  on 
September  13,  1791,  that  being  the  regular 
examination  day  before  Commencement.  He 
was  graduated  in  1795,  the  day  after  President 
Dwight's  inauguration.*-'  In  his  sophomore 
year  he  roomed  with  his  classmate,  Rufus 
Adams,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  second 
story  of  what  was  later  known  as  South  Middle 
College,  and  in  his  junior  year  with  his  class- 
mate, Erastus  Ripley,  in  the  third  story  north- 
west corner  of  the  same  building.  On  Quarter 
Day,  March  12,  1794,  he  was  appointed  to 
deliver  the  English  oration  at  public  exercises 
in  the  Chapel,  and  he  was  one  of  the  speakers 
at  the  Commencement  exercises,  on  September 
9,  1795.  His  theme  on  the  latter  occasion" 
was   one   amusingly  at  variance  with   his  tastes 

*  John  Adams's  diplomas,  still  in  the  possession  of  the  family, 
show  that  he  received  the  degree  of  B.  A.  on  September  9, 
1795,  and  that  of  M.  A.  on  September  12,  1798.  Both  docu- 
ments bear  the  signature  "  T.  Dwight."  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  on  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  his  graduation, 
a  great-grandson  and  a  great-great-grandson  completed  their 
education  at  Yale  under  the  administration  of  the  second  Presi- 
dent Timothy  Dwight.     See  Genealogy,  pages  271  and  274. 

15 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

in  later  life,  namely,  the  "  Benefits  of  Theatrical 
Establishments." 

These  are  the  only  notices  which  we  have 
been  able  to  find  of  John  Adams's  college 
career.  He  himself  refers  to  it  with  exceeding 
brevity.  "  I  had  my  full  share,"  he  says,  "  of 
the  advantages,  dangers  and  honors  of  a  col- 
lege course." 

The  dangers  to  which  Dr.  Adams  refers 
were  no  doubt  serious  enough.  The  tone  of 
college  life  was  far  less  healthy  then  than  at 
the  present  day.  Brutal  amusements  were  in 
vogue  among  the  undergraduates,  and  hard 
drinking  was  the  fashion.  Owing  in  part  to 
the  influence  of  the  gay  French  officers  who 
accompanied  the  Marquis  of  Lafayette  to  this 
country  scepticism  had  spread  to  an  alarming 
extent.  Young  men  received  much  formal 
religious  instruction,  but  felt  little  interest  in 
the  truths  of  Christianity.  Into  such  surround- 
ings John  Adams  entered  as  a  country  lad, 
fresh  from  the  farm.  Though  he  had  not  as  yet 
the  support  of  a  personal  religious  experience, 
his   safeguard  was   a   natural   tendency  toward 

i6 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

that  which  was  pure  and  upright.  Nevertheless 
in  after  years,  when  his  views  regarding  amuse- 
ments had  grown  more  strict,  his  conscience 
was  often  sadly  troubled  by  the  "follies"  of 
his  "  giddy  youth." 

Certain  it  is  that  at  this  time  in  his  life  he 
had  all  the  tastes  natural  to  youth  and  high 
spirits.  His  handsome  face  and  a  genial  man- 
ner soon  won  him  popularity  among  his  fellow- 
students.  He  was  the  best  dancer  in  his  class, 
and  at  the  close  of  his  senior  year  was  elected 
leader  of  the  Commencement  Ball.  A  minia- 
ture painted  during  his  college  course  shows 
him  as  a  good-looking  young  man  with  an 
expression  at  once  dignified  and  winning. 
After  the  fashion  of  the  time,  he  often  wore  a 
powdered  wig  and  queue.  He  also  wore  knee 
breeches,  shoes  with  silver  buckles,  and  a  three- 
cornered  hat,  which,  in  accordance  with  the 
rules  of  the  Faculty,  he  was  obliged  to  remove 
when  within  three  rods  of  a  tutor,  or  seven 
rods  of  the  President  of  the  College. 

It  would  be  pleasant  to  linger  longer  over 
these     happy     undergraduate     days,    but     the 

'7 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

"  season  of  frivolity,"  if  so  it  must  be  called, 
was  a  short  one.  Graduation  came  all  too  soon. 
In  1795,  when  twenty-three  years  old,  he  bade 
farewell  to  New  Haven  and  returned  to  quiet 
Canterbury,  there  to  meet  the  problem  of  his 
own  support,  and  to  face  the  every-day  facts  of 
life,  limitation  and  sorrow.  He  soon  found 
that  his  presence  was  greatly  needed  in  the 
old  home. 

"My  mother,"  he  writes,  "had  long  been 
suffering  from  an  affection  which  commenced 
in  her  left  eye.  She  had  consulted  many 
physicians,  but  all  pronounced  it  hopeless. 
When  I  reached  home,  she  thus  addressed 
me :  '  My  son,  you  have  been  away  from  me 
for  a  long  time  ;  you  have  been  through  college. 
I  hope  you  will  now  stay  with  me  and  dress 
my  eye  so  long  as  I  live,  which  cannot  be 
long.' 

"  Such  an  appeal  could  not  be  resisted ;  but 
how  was  I  to  earn  my  living  ?  My  mother 
suggested  that  I  take  a  school  in  the  *  North 
Society,'  board  at  home  and  dress  her  eye  night 
and  morning.      I  felt  it  my  duty  to  forego  sev- 

18 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

eral  advantageous  proposals  which  had  been 
made  to  me  in  order  to  comply  with  her  wishes. 
I  therefore  began  a  private  school  a  mile  and  a 
half  away  from  my  father's  house,  at  a  salary 
of  twenty  dollars  a  month." 

Teaching  was  at  first  irksome  to  him,  but  he 
grew  to  love  his  work  as  it  prospered  under 
his  hands.  "  I  commenced  with  very  few 
pupils,"  he  continues,  "  in  an  unpromising 
district ;  but  the  number  increased  constantly 
and  before  the  year  closed  it  was  necessary  to 
put  up  an  addition  to  the  schoolhouse.  In 
this  room  I  placed  such  scholars  as  were  study- 
ing the  languages  and  the  higher  branches, 
under  the  care  of  a  faithful  monitor.  I  heard 
them  recite  in  the  morning  before  nine  o'clock, 
and  in  the  afternoon  after  the  school  had 
been  dismissed.  Often  after  dressing  my  poor 
mother's  eye,  taking  breakfast,  and  walking  or 
running  a  mile  and  a  half,  I  have  commenced 
my  labors  in  the  schoolhouse  before  sunrise. 
In  this  way  I  spent  about  three  years,  with 
little  pecuniary  benefit  to  myself;  but  with 
gratification  to  my  beloved  mother. 

'9 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

"  The  summer  after  I  began  to  teach  school 
it  was  thought  best  to  suspend  the  exercises 
during  the  month  of  July,  as  so  many  of  the 
scholars  would  be  absent  haying.  I  said  to  my 
father  :  '  This  will  be  lost  time  for  me.  What 
can  I  do  ? '  He  said,  '  I  need  another  hand 
for  July  and  will  give  you  twenty  dollars  a 
month.'  He  said  this  to  try  me,  to  see  whether 
I  felt  above  work  in  consequence  of  going  to 
college.  I  took  him  at  his  word,  and  was  soon 
equipped,  farmer-like,  in  frock  and  trousers. 
The  first  day  I  needed  some  indulgence,  the 
second  and  third  days  less,  after  that  I  asked  no 
favors  and  was  never  found  lagging  behind.  I 
proved  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  that  I  knew 
how  to  work,  and  although  a  graduate  of  Yale 
College  was  not  ashamed  to  labor  as  a  hired 
servant."  The  twenty  dollars  thus  earned  were 
paid  to  his  father  as  the  first  installment  of  the 
hundred  due  for  his  college  education. 

"  Near  the  close  of  this  year,"  the  record 
continues,  "  I  was  invited  to  take  a  district 
school  in  the  '  Old  Society '  about  two  and 
a    half  miles    from    my    father's    house,    at    a 


20 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

salary  of  four  hundred  dollars.  At  the  same 
time  I  was  invited  to  become  Rector  of  Plain- 
field  Academy  with  a  salary  of  five  hundred 
dollars.  As  usual,  I  referred  the  decision  to 
my  mother,  who  said,  *  If  you  go  to  Plain- 
field,  six  miles  from  me,  I  shall  not  see  you 
often.  If  you  go  to  the  Old  Society,  you 
can  come  home  every  evening  in  good  weather 
and  dress  my  eye.'  I  immediately  accepted  the 
offer  of  the  Old  Society." 

A  pleasant  side  light  is  thrown  upon  the 
character  of  the  young  school-master  by  a  para- 
graph found  inthe  History  of  Windham  County. 
"  Canterbury,"  writes  its  author.  Miss  Earned, 
"  was  never  more  flourishing  than  during  the 
continuance  of  this  school.  Mr.  Adams  had 
in  large  measure  the  true  teacher's  art  of  call- 
ing forth  the  best  in  his  pupils  and  of  exciting 
enthusiasm  for  school,  studies  and  master."  He 
was  especially  kind  to  needy  students  and  often 
assisted  them  pecuniarily. 

While  John  Adams  was  thus  patiently  plod- 
ding along  the  path  of  duty  a  little  incident  occur- 
red which,  in  the  Providence  of  God,  was  to  lead 

ai 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

to  large  results.  In  the  neighboring  town  of 
Windham  there  lived  a  respectable  family  by 
the  name  of  Ripley.  Gamaliel  Ripley  was 
a  descendant  of  Joshua  Ripley,  the  first  town 
clerk  of  Windham,  and  her  first  representative 
in  the  General  Assembly.*  During  the  winter  of 
1797  one  of  his  sons  drove  over  to  Canterbury 
to  attend  a  public  exhibition  in  John  Adams's 
school.  Upon  this  occasion  he  was  accom- 
panied by  his  sister  Elizabeth.  The  exercises 
in  the  school  continued  to  a  late  hour,  and  as 
the  visitors  were  six  miles  from  home  they 
were  invited  by  John  Adams's  sister  to  spend 
the  night  in  her  father's  house.  "  My  mother," 
says  John  Adams,  "  was  much  pleased  by  the 
person  and  good  sense  of  Miss  Ripley.  Shortly 
after  this  visit  she  said  to  me, '  John,  I  suppose 
you  will  soon  be  looking  for  a  companion. 
Now  I  think  Miss  Ripley  an  excellent  young 
lady  and  I  believe  that  she  would  make  you 
very  happy.'  " 

*  Joshua  Ripley's  wife,  Hannah  Bradford,  was  a  grand- 
daughter of  Governor  William  Bradford,  of  Plymouth.  She 
was  a  noble  and  useful  woman,  the  first  and  for  a  long  time 
the  only  physician  in  the  settlement. 

22 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

Such  advice  could  not  be  without  effect  upon 
so  good  a  son  as  John  Adams.  But  in  truth 
he  needed  little  urging,  and  in  the  following 
spring  his  mother  had  the  happiness  of  wit- 
nessing his  marriage  to  the  charming  Miss 
Ripley.  The  new  tie  thus  formed  proved  no 
barrier  to  the  affectionate  intercourse  between 
mother  and  son.  When  in  the  fall  of  1798 
Mary  Adams  died,  it  was  in  the  arms  of  her 
eldest  born  that  she  passed  peacefully  away. 

Two  years  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Adams  the 
invitation  to  Plainfield  was  renewed  in  a  most 
pressing  manner,  and  as  the  reason  for  refusing 
it  no  longer  existed,  John  Adams  removed 
thither  in  the  spring  of  1801,  taking  with  him 
his  young  wife  and  his  infant  daughter  Mary. 

At  this  time  Plainfield  Academy  was  in  a 
"  sickly  condition."  But  under  the  wise  and 
firm  administration  of  its  new  master  the  insti- 
tution speedily  recovered.  The  number  of  the 
pupils  rose  to  sixty.  Among  them  were  Ri- 
naldo  Burleigh,  Rev.  Parker  Adams,  Henry  R. 
Storrs,  Samuel  Stevens,  Ebenezer  Young,  Rev. 
Jason     Allen,     Aristarchus     Champion,     Rev. 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

Daniel  Huntington,  Alexander  Stevens,  M.D., 
LL.D.,  and  other  useful  and  honorable  men. 

But  the  change  brought  sorrow  as  well  as 
joy.  During  the  early  years  of  his  stay  at 
Plainfield  the  shadow  of  death  fell  upon  the 
schoolmaster's  home.  In  1802  he  lost  his 
eldest  boy,  Gamaliel  Ripley,  a  "  lovely  inter- 
'  esting  "  child  of  two  years.  This  was,  perhaps, 
the  most  crushing  sorrow  which  ever  came  to 
John  Adams,  and  we  notice  that  although 
usually  undemonstrative  in  his  references  to 
his  children,  he  never  writes  the  name  of  his 
first-born  son  without  adding  to  it  some  term 
of  endearment. 

It  was  out  of  the  depths  of  this  bitter  grief 
that  he  entered  into  his  first  profound  religious 
experience.  He  tells  us  that  until  the  death 
of  his  son  he  had  concerned  himself  little  with 
questions  of  religion.  He  had  been  content  to 
rest  in  a  formal 'acceptance  of  such  fundamental 
truths  as  the  existence  of  God  and  the  authority 
of  the  Scriptures.  When  the  blow  fell,  he 
considered  it  a  direct  divine  chastisement  and 
received  it  in  a  spirit  of  penitence  and  submis- 

24 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 


sion.  His  awakened  conscience  sought  eagerly 
for  the  duty  nearest  at  hand,  and  after  a  sharp 
struggle  with  natural  diffidence  he  began  to 
conduct  family  prayers.  It  was  not  until  two 
years  later,  when  a  teacher  in  Colchester,  that 
he  felt  himself  justified  in  making  an  open 
profession  of  his  Christian  faith. 

In  1803  the  prosperity  of  Plainfield  Academy 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  trustees  of  a  school 
which  had  been  recently  founded  in  the  neigh- 
boring town  of  Colchester,  Connecticut.  Bacon 
Academy  at  Colchester  owed  its  existence  to  a 
thrifty  farmer,  Pierpont  Bacon,  a  former  citizen 
of  New  London,  who  had  devoted  to  its  en- 
dowment the  earnings  of  his  lifetime.  Among 
the  trustees  of  Bacon  Academy  were  some  of 
the  most  prominent  men  in  Connecticut.  Such 
were  Jonathan  Trumbull,  a  Governor  of  the 
State,  Roger  Griswold,  his  successor  in  office, 
Zephaniah  Swift,  one  of  Connecticut's  Chief 
Justices,  and  General  Epaphroditus  Champion, 
a  "  spotless  "  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 

The  position  which  these  gentlemen  offered 
to  John  Adams  was  more  important  than  any 

as 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

which  he  had  yet  filled  and  he  entered  upon  its 
duties  with  many  misgivings ;  yet  the  seven 
years  which  he  spent  at  Colchester  must  be 
counted  among  the  most  successful  of  his  life. 
His  reputation  reached  beyond  the  bounds  of 
neighborhood,  and  attracted  scholars  from  a 
distance.  Many  Southern  gentlemen  sent  their 
sons  to  be  prepared  for  college  by  Master 
Adams.  So  successful  was  he  during  his  admin- 
istration that  the  attendance  at  the  Academy 
reached  two  hundred. 

The  year  after  settling  in  Colchester  John 
Adams  united  with  the  church  of  the  Rev. 
Salmon  Cone,  and  in  this  act  he  was  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  Elizabeth  Adams  and  by  his 
faithful  servant,  Betsey  Cleveland.  He  was 
afterwards  made  a  deacon,  and  thenceforth 
held  office  in  every  church  of  which  he  be- 
came a  member. 

It  was  while  in  Colchester  that  cares  connected 
with  his  old  home  weighed  most  heavily  upon 
him.  His  father  was  now  sick  and  poor,  and 
had  it  not  been  for  John  his  last  years  would 
have  been  sad  indeed.     The  schoolmaster's  own 

26 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

family  was  by  this  time  making  large  demands 
upon  his  resources,  yet  he  managed  by  fore- 
thought and  economy  in  his  affairs  to  render 
substantial  aid  to  his  father  and  brothers.  To 
his  brother  Parker  he  loaned  the  money  neces- 
sary to  carry  him  through  college ;  and  by 
buying  from  his  father  a  piece  of  land  at  a 
price  far  beyond  its  actual  value,  he  made  it 
possible  for  the  old  farmer  to  end  his  days  in 
peace,  free  from  debt  and  with  means  enough 
in  hand  to  provide  him  with  simple  comforts. 

John  Adams's  work  at  Colchester  came  to  an 
abrupt  end  early  in  the  year  1810,  when  a  dif- 
ference of  opinion  arose  between  the  Preceptor 
and  the  Trustees  regarding  a  case  of  discipline. 
The  Master,  feeling  that  in  this  most  important 
department  he  must  be  allowed  a  free  hand, 
presented  his  resignation.  A  committee  of  five 
Trustees  called  upon  him  to  request  him  to 
reconsider  this  action  ;  but  in  vain.  He  had 
acted  deliberately  and  prayerfully,  and  he  had 
nothing  to  recall.  Not  long  after  the  Trustees 
of  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  who  had  for 
some    time    watched    his    growing    reputation, 

27 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

asked  him  to  become  the  head  of  their  school, 
offering  him  a  salary  of  nine  hundred  dollars 
and  a  house.  This  flattering  invitation  was 
gratefully  accepted,  and  the  spring  of  1810 
found  John  Adams  and  his  young  family  al- 
ready established  upon  the  elm-shaded  hill  of 
Andover. 


CHAPTER  II 

A  NEW  ENGLAND  ACADEMY 


"  What  sculpture  is  to  a  block  of  marble  education  is  to  the  ■] 

human  soul.'"' — Addison.  i 


CHAPTER    II 

A  NEW    ENGLAND   ACADEMY 


"  f^    I    ^HE   little   red   school-house"  is  the 
I  historic  symbol  of  much  that  was 

best  and  noblest  in  the  life  of  New 
England  ;  but  at  its  side,  during  the  fifty  years 
which  preceded  the  establishment  of  graded 
public  schools  in  Boston,  there  flourished 
another  institution  of  unique  value  and  signifi- 
cance, the  New  England  Academy.  The  half 
century  when  district  school  and  Academy 
together  trained  the  leaders  of  two  generations 
has  been  called  the  "  picturesque  period  of 
Massachusetts  educational  history."  With 
the  advent  of  a  more  uniform  system,  the  pic- 
turesque element  disappeared,  but  not  before  it 
had  left  lasting  traces  upon  the  pages  of  New 
England  literature.    Under  the  new  order  some 

31 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 

of  the  old  academies  dwindled  and  died  and 
their  place  knew  them  no  more.  Others,  more 
vigorous  or  adaptable,  became  specialized  as 
preparatory  schools,  struck  their  roots  deep  into 
the  soil  of  contemporary  life,  and  entered  upon 
an  era  of  undreamed  of  influence  and  prosperity. 
Among  such,  none  is  more  conspicuous  than 
the  Phillips  Academy  of  Andover,  and  it  is 
because  of  his  connection  with  this  historic 
school  during  its  formative  period  that  Dr. 
Adams's  name  deserves  its  place  upon  the 
honor  roll  of  New  England  schoolmasters. 

But  before  attempting  to  gather  together  the 
broken  records  which  are  all  that  remain  to  us 
of  his  work,  it  may  be  interesting  to  glance 
rapidly  at  the  origin  and  early  history  of  Phil- 
lips Academy.  There  is  a  special  fitness  in 
this,  as  of  all  those  who  have  occupied  the 
position  of  Principal,  none  has  come  nearer  to 
realizing  the  ideal  of  the  founders  than  did 
John  Adams.  What  that  ideal  was,  we  find 
clearly  set  forth  in  the  constitution  under  which 
the  school  was  organized.  After  a  preface  in 
which  the  founders  express  their  intention  "  to 

32 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

lay  the  foundation  of  a  public  free  school  or 
academy  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  youth, 
not  only  in  English  and  Latin  Grammar,  Writ- 
ing, Arithmetic,  and  those  sciences  wherein 
they  are  commonly  taught ;  but  more  especially 
to  learn  them  the  great  end  and  real  business 
of  living,"  the  document  proceeds  as  follows  : 
"  No  person  shall  be  chosen  as  a  principal 
instructor  unless  a  professor  of  the  Christian 
religion,  of  exemplary  manners,  of  good  nat- 
ural abilities  and  literary  acquirements,  of 
good  acquaintance  with  human  nature,  of  a 
natural  aptitude  for  instruction  and  govern- 
ment ;  and  in  the  appointment  of  any  in- 
structor regard  shall  be  had  to  qualifications 
only,  without  preference  of  kindred  or  friend, 
place  of  birth,  education  or  residence.  ...  It 
shall  be  ever  considered  as  the  first  and  princi- 
pal duty  of  the  Master  to  regulate  the  tem- 
pers, enlarge  the  minds  and  form  the  morals 
of  the  youth  committed  to  his  care. 
It  is  expected  that  the  Master's  attention  to 
the  disposition  of  the  minds  and  morals  of 
the  youth  under  his   charge  will  exceed  every 

33 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

other  care ;  well  considering  that  though 
goodness  without  knowledge  is  weak  and 
feeble,  yet  knowledge  without  goodness  is 
dangerous ;  and  that  both  united  form  the 
noblest  character  and  lay  the  surest  foundation 
of  usefulness  to  mankind.  It  is,  therefore,  re- 
quired that  he  most  attentively  and  vigorously 
guard  against  the  earliest  irregularities  ;  that  he 
frequently  delineate  in  their  natural  colors  the 
deformity  and  odiousness  of  vice  and  the  beauty 
and  amiableness  of  virtue ;  that  he  spare  no 
pains  to  convince  them  of  their  numberless 
obligations  to  abhor  and  avoid  the  former  and 
to  love  and  practice  the  latter ;  .  .  .  that 
he  early  inure  them  to  contemplate  the  sev- 
eral connections  and  various  scenes  incident 
to  human  life ;  furnishing  such  general  max- 
ims of  conduct  as  may  best  enable  them  to 
pass  through  all  with  ease,  reputation  and  com- 
fort. And  whereas  many  of  the  students  in 
this  Seminary  may  be  devoted  to  the  sacred 
work  of  the  gospel  ministry,  ...  it  shall 
be  the  duty  of  the  Master,  as  the  age  and  ca- 
pacity  of  the   scholars  will  admit,  not  only  to 

34 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

instruct  and  establish  them  in  the  truth  of 
Christianity,  but  also  early  and  diligently  to 
inculcate  upon  them  the  great  and  important 
Scripture  doctrines  of  the  existence  of  the  one 
true  God,  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  of 
the  fall  of  man,  the  depravity  of  human  nature, 
the  necessity  of  an  atonement  and  of  our  being 
renewed  in  the  spirit  of  our  minds  ;  the  doc- 
trines of  repentance  toward  God  and  of 
faith  toward  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  of  sanc- 
tification  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  of  justifica- 
tion by  the  free  grace  of  God ;  .  .  .  to- 
gether with  the  other  important  doctrines 
and    duties    of    our    holy    Christian    religion. 

And  whereas  the  most  wholesome 
precepts  without  frequent  repetition  may  prove 
ineffectual,  it  is  required  of  the  Master  that  he 
not  only  urge  and  re-urge,  but  continue  from 
day  to  day,  to  impress  these  instructions. 
And  let  him  ever  remember  that  the  design  of 
this  institution  can  never  be  answered  without 
his  persevering  incessant  attention  to  this  duty. 

And  in  order  to  prevent  the  smallest 
perversion  of  the  true  intent  of  this   Founda- 

35 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

tion,  it  is  again  declared  that  the  Jirst  and  princi- 
pal object  of  this  Institution  is  the  promotion  of 
true  Piety  and  Virtue ;  the  second^  instruc- 
tion in  the  Enghsh,  Latin  and  Greek  languages, 
together  with  Writing,  Arithmetic,  Music,  and 
the  Art  of  Speaking  ;  the  third,  practical  Geom- 
etry, Logic,  Geography  ;  the  fourth^  such  other 
of  the  Liberal  Arts,  Sciences,  or  Languages  as 
opportunity  and  ability  may  hereafter  admit 
and  the  Trustees  shall  direct." 

Such  were  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution 
under  which  John  Adams  held  office.  With 
the  spirit  and  aims  of  those  who  framed  it  he 
felt  himself  in  completest  sympathy,  and  to  the 
literal  fulfillment  of  its  injunctions  he  de- 
voted his  time  and  strength  with  an  almost 
passionate  fidelity. 

Who  were  the  men  who  expressed  their 
ideal  of  the  Christian  teacher  in  these  clear- 
cut  and  unmistakable  terms  ?  Their  names 
were  Samuel  and  John  Phillips,  and  they  were 
members  of  that  well-known  New  England 
family  whose  many  virtues  have  found  their 
fullest   modern   expression   in  the  character  of 

36 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

the    late    Bishop     of    Massachusetts,    PhilHps 
Brooks. 

When,  in  1630,  the  pilgrim  ship  "  Arbella  " 
landed  her  passengers  at  Salem,  on  the  shore  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,  there  was  among  the  com- 
pany a  young  clergyman,  the  Rev.  George  Phil- 
lips of  Cambridge,  England,  with  his  wife  and 
infant  son,  Samuel.  Mr.  Phillips  became  pastor 
of  the  "  First  Church  of  Christ  in  Watertown," 
and  was  for  many  years  not  only  a  powerful 
preacher  of  the  Gospel,  but  a  leading  and  in- 
fluential citizen.  Cotton  Mather  speaks  of 
him  as  one  "  very  full  of  holy  discourse  on  all 
occasions  which  marvellously  ministered  grace 
unto  his  hearers" — a  man  "mighty  in  the 
Scriptures  and  very  diligent  to  follow  out  the 
mind  of  Christ  therein."  Even  greater  was  the 
reputation  of  his  son  Samuel,  who  followed 
him  in  the  ministry.  He  was  settled  in 
Rowley,  and  his  name  has  come  down  to  us 
as  one  of  the  few  clergymen  who  had  cour- 
age and  common  sense  enough  to  protest 
against  the  persecution  of  the  witches.  The 
ministerial   succession   was   interrupted    in    the 

37 


iii*(>^;io4»5 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

case  of  his  son  Samuel,  who  became  a  gold- 
smith in  Salem,  only  to  be  resumed  again  in 
the  person  of  his  son  Samuel,  the  third  of  the 
name. 

With  the  third  Samuel  Phillips,  the  family 
connection  with  Andover  begins.  One  is 
tempted  to  linger  long  over  this  picturesque 
and  striking  figure.  Called  to  the  pastorate  of 
the  old  South  Church  in  Andover  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  he  remained  for  over  sixty  years  in 
the  same  parish.  Regarding  himself  as  an  am- 
bassador of  the  King  of  Kings  he  thought  no 
honor  too  great  to  be  paid  to  his  sacred  office. 
He  walked  to  the  church  in  dignified  proces- 
sion, himself  first,  his  wife  on  his  arm,  after  him 
the  negro  servants,  and  lastly  the  children  ar- 
ranged in  order  of  age.  His  congregation 
were  accustomed  to  rise  when  he  entered  the 
church  and  to  remain  standing  until  he  was 
seated  in  the  pulpit.  He  used  great  plainness 
of  speech  with  his  people  and  did  not  hesitate 
to  rebuke  them  openly  when  they  withheld  from 
him,  their  minister,  any  portion  of  his  just  dues. 
He  was  a  devoted  pastor,  and  paid  his  constant 

38 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

parochial  visits  on  a  gray  horse,  often  with 
Madam  PhiUips  seated  on  a  pilHon  behind 
him.  Great  was  his  generosity  to  the  poor ; 
but  equally  remarkable  was  his  economy  at 
home.  The  tale  runs  that  he  always  blew  out 
the  candle  at  the  beginning  of  family  prayer 
and  relighted  it  again  at  its  conclusion."^'  In 
his  will  he  left  one  hundred  pounds  to  the  poor 
of  Andover,  and  one  hundred  pounds  for  "  ye 
pious  and  charitable  use  of  propagating  Chris- 
tian knowledge  among  the  Indians."  His  dying 
prayer  for  his  three  sons  was  that  they  "  might 
make  it  their  care  to  be  found  in  Christ  and  to 
serve  their  generation  according  to  y*'  will  of 
God  ;  doing  good  as  they  shall  have  opportun- 
ity unto  all  men,  especially  to  y''  household  of 
faith,  as  knowing  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than 
to  receive." 

The  prayer  of  the  old  clergyman  has  a  pro- 


*  After  his  death  the  parish  voted  "that  the  parish  will  be 
at  the  charge  of  the  funeral  of  the  Rev.  S.  Phillips  ;  that  at 
his  funeral  the  bearers  shall  have  rings,  that  the  ordained  min- 
isters who  attend  the  funeral  shall  have  gloves,  that  the  minis- 
ters who  preached  gratis  in  Mr.  Phillips's  illness  shall  have 
gloves  ;  and  voted,  to  hear  the  bearers  in  turn  !  " 

39 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

phetic  tone  in  view  of  the  work  accomplished 
by  his  descendants.  It  must  have  sounded  Hke 
a  benediction  in  the  ears  of  his  sons  as  they  set 
about  the  unselfish  task  of  founding  the  Acad- 
emy which  bears  the  family  name.  Of  these 
sons,  the  elder,  Samuel,  was  a  merchant,  with  a 
house  and  store  in  the  North  Parish  of  And- 
over.  John,  the  younger,  was  in  business 
in  Exeter.  Both  were  possessed  of  what  in 
their  day  was  accounted  wealth.  The  first 
purchase  of  land  was  made  in  the  name  of 
Samuel,  better  known  as  Squire  Phillips  ;  al- 
though his  brother,  John,  gave  the  larger 
amount  of  money.  The  latter  afterwards 
founded  the  Phillips  Academy  in  Exeter,  while 
Squire  Phillips's  interest  was  confined  to  And- 
over,  almost  his  entire  property  finding  its  way 
in  successive  gifts  to  the  institution  of  his 
native  town.  In  the  original  deed  dated  April 
21,  1778,  we  find  that  beside  one  hundred  and 
forty-one  acres  of  land  in  the  parish  of  An- 
dover  and  two  hundred  in  Jaffrey,  N.  H., 
Samuel  and  John  Phillips  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the    Board   of  Trustees  the  sum  of  about 

40 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

^5,400  to  be  put  at  interest,  the  rent  and  in- 
terest of  the  said  lands  and  money  "  to  be 
appropriated,  laid  out  and  expended  for  the 
support  of  a  public  free  school  or  academy  in 
Andover."  Later  the  original  intention  of  the 
donors  was  so  far  modified  as  to  admit  a  mod- 
erate fee  for  admission.  The  first  Board  of 
Trustees  consisted  of  the  following  members  : 
the  two  founders,  Samuel  and  John  Phillips, 
the  Hon.  Wm.  Phillips,  Esq.,  Oliver  Wendell, 
and  John  Lowell,  Esquires,  of  Boston ;  the 
Rev.  Josiah  Stearns,  of  Epping ;  Elias  Smith, 
of  Middletown  ;  William  Symmes  and  Jona- 
than French,  clerks;  Nehemiah  Abbott,  yeo- 
man, Samuel  Phillips,  Jr.,  and  Eliphalet 
Pearson,  gentlemen." 

With  the  name  of  Samuel  Phillips,  Junior, 
better  known  as  Judge  Phillips,  we  reach  the 
flowering  point  of  the  family  history.  He 
was  the  son  of  Squire  Phillips,  and  it  was  to 
his  unselfish  efforts  that  the  founding  of  the 
Academy  was  really  due.  His  father  and  uncle 
did  indeed  give  the  money  which  made  the 
foundation  possible,  but  the  original   idea  was 

41 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

his.  It  was  he  who  wrote  the  constitution,  and 
it  was  upon  his  shoulders  that  the  burden  of 
its  endowment  finally  fell.  Although  the  only 
surviving  son  of  the  Squire,  and  the  acknowl- 
edged heir  of  his  childless  uncle  John,  he  yet 
with  the  utmost  generosity  and  public  spirit 
stripped  himself  of  his  inheritance  in  favor 
of  the  Phillips  Academy.  Later  in  life  Mr. 
Phillips  held  successively  many  of  the  highest 
offices  in  the  gift  of  the  commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts.  He  was  elected  Judge,  State 
Senator,  President  of  the  Senate,  and  finally 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Massachusetts.  But 
without  doubt,  the  greatest  public  service  which 
he  ever  rendered  was  when  he  persuaded  his 
careful  father  and  prudent  uncle  to  plant  a 
school  for  boys  upon  Andover  Hill.  Had  he 
lived  in  mediaeval  Italy  his  name  might  have 
come  down  to  us  as  the  patron  saint  of  his 
native  town.  In  Puritan  Andover  it  will  be 
held  in  reverence  as  long  as  the  yearly  tide  of 
scholars  enters  the  doors  of  the  Academy  ;  or 
the   elms    of  the   campus   shelter   the    passing 

student  of  theology. 

42 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

By  the  side  of  Judge  Phillips,  and  sharing  an 
almost  equal  reverence,  stands  the  dignified 
figure  of  his  wife,  Madame  Phoebe  Foxcroft 
Phillips.  Madame  Phillips  was  in  the  best 
sense  of  the  word  "a  great  lady."  She  repre- 
sents one  of  the  noblest  types  of  Colonial  times. 
A  woman  who  was  not  only  beautiful  in  body 
and  cultured  in  mind,  a  stately  hostess  and  an 
accomplished  writer,  but  also  an  excellent  wo- 
man of  business  and  well  skilled  in  all  the 
tender  and  homely  arts  of  the  mother  and  the 
housewife,  she  was  a  fit  helpmate  for  her  hus- 
band during  the  troublous  times  in  which  his 
lot  was  cast.  Before  she  had  been  married 
three  years  the  Revolutionary  war  broke  out, 
and  Judge  Phillips  was  summoned  to  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  at  Watertown,  as  representa- 
tive of  Andover.  Then  began  for  him  those 
arduous  public  services  which  ended  only  with 
his  death,  and  for  her  a  series  of  long  and  pain- 
ful separations,  during  which  there  was  laid 
upon  her  shoulders  not  only  the  whole  care 
of  the  household,  but  often  of  her  husband's 
private   business    interests    as    well.       But    she 

43 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

proved  fully  equal  to  the  responsibilities  which 
devolved  upon  her.  In  all  that  Judge  Phillips 
did  she  acted  as  his  right  hand.  His  benevo- 
lent enterprises  had  her  fullest  sympathy.  Es- 
pecially did  the  Academy  stand  near  to  her 
heart.  She  took  an  affectionate  interest  in  its 
affairs  and  the  Phillips  boys  were  often  at  her 
house.  Later  in  her  life  her  name  appears, 
with  that  of  her  son,  among  the  founders  of 
Andover  Theological  Seminary  which,  in  the 
course  of  time,  grew  naturally  out  of  the  soil 
prepared  by  the  Academy. 

"  From  the  Phillips  family,"  wrote  in  after 
years  Rev.  William  Edwards  Park,  "  sprang 
the  Academic  system  of  New  England  as 
truly  as  did  Methodism  from  the  household 
of  Susannah  Wesley."  But  never  did  a 
great  work  begin  more  modestly.  To  all 
outward  appearance  the  time  chosen  for  the 
opening  of  the  Phillips  Academy  was  singu- 
larly ill-adapted  for  an  educational  experiment. 
The  cause  of  liberty  was  at  a  low  ebb.  No 
little  faith  was  required  to  believe  that  an 
American   nation  would  ever  exist  to  need  the 

44- 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

services  of  educated  men.  The  courage  of  Judge 
Phillips  at  this  crisis  has  been  justly  compared 
to  that  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  who,  when  the  fortunes 
of  the  Civil  War  were  trembling  in  the  bal- 
ance, continued  to  urge  on  the  completion  of 
the  National  Capitol  at  Washington.  On  April 
28,  1778,  the  Board  of  Trustees  held  their  first 
meeting  in  his  house.  After  the  Constitution 
had  been  read  a  sermon  was  preached  by  the 
Rev.  Jonathan  French,  Judge  Phillips's  friend. 
Eliphalet  Pearson,  then  teacher  of  the  Gram- 
mar School  at  Andover,  was  elected  Principal. 
Two  days  later  the  school  opened  in  a  re- 
habilitated carpenter's  shop  on  Andover  Hill, 
with  an  attendance  of  thirteen  pupils  between 
the  ages  of  six  and  thirteen. 

Of  the  three  Principals  who  preceded  John 
Adams  in  the  Academy  the  most  interesting  is 
Dr.  Pearson.  He  was  a  man  of  most  extraor- 
dinary versatility,  able  to  turn  his  hand  to  any- 
thing. He  could  be  chemist,  carpenter  or 
teacher,  as  the  occasion  required.  In  the  Old 
South  Church  at  Andover  there  stood  for  a 
long    time    a    bass    viol    made    by    his    hands. 

45 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

When  Judge  Phillips's  plan  for  a  powder  mill 
in  Andover,  to  meet  the  necessities  of  the  needy 
American  troops,  threatened  to  fail  for  lack  of 
saltpetre,  it  was  Dr.  Pearson,  then  a  teacher  in 
the  Andover  Grammar  School,  who  came  to 
his  help.  "  He  had  the  spirit  of  Napoleon 
First,  who  said :  '  I  am  master  of  the  art  of 
war.  If  powder  is  needed,  I  can  make  it.'  " 
Without  any  special  knowledge  of  chemistry, 
with  few  books  and  almost  no  outside  help, 
he  set  up  an  amateur  laboratory,  and  by  dint 
of  indefatigable  perseverance  succeeded  at  last 
in  producing  the  needed  material.  Dr.  Pear- 
son was  often  heard  to  say  that  never  in  his 
long  and  varied  career  had  he  enjoyed  such 
a  moment  of  triumph  as  when  the  longed- 
for  crystals  appeared.  His  little  scholars 
received  an  unexpected  vacation  while  their 
desks  were  covered  with  pans  of  the  bleaching 
saltpetre. 

In  appearance  he  was  tall  and  of  majestic 
presence,  with  a  glance  so  keen  that  Washing- 
ton is  reported  to  have'said  of  him  :  "  His  eye 
shows  him  worthy  not  only  to  lead  boys,  but 

46 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

to  command  men."  As  a  teacher  he  inspired 
great  awe.  A  deHnquent  who  had  once  been 
reproved  by  him  was  asked,  "  How  did  you 
feel  when  it  was  over  ?  "  The  reply  came,  "  I 
pinched  myself  to  see  whether  I  was  alive." 

From  the  hand  of  the  first  Master  we  gain 
our  earliest  account  of  the  routine  of  the 
Academy.  In  1780  he  wrote  to  the  Trus- 
tees : 

"  School  begins  at  eight  o'clock  with  devo- 
tional exercises;  a  psalm  is  read  and  sung.  Then 
a  class  consisting  of  four  scholars  repeats  mem- 
oriter  two  pages  in  Greek  Grammar,  after  which 
a  class  of  thirty  persons  repeats  a  page  and  a 
half  of  Latin  Grammar  ;  then  follows  the  '  Ac- 
cidence tribe,'  *  who  repeat  two,  three,  four, 
five  and  ten  pages  each.  To  this  may  be  added 
three  who  are  studying  arithmetic  ,-  one  is  in 
the  Rule  of  Three,  another  in  Fellowship,  and 
the   third   is   in  Practice.     School   is   closed  at 


*  This  refers  to  one  of  the  oldest  school  books  of  New 
England.  '«  Cheever's  Accidence,"  or  "  A  Short  Introduc- 
tion to  the  Latin  Tongue,"  was  written  by  Master  Cheever  of 
New  Haven,  and  eighteen  editions  appeared  before  the  Revo- 
lution. 

47 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

night  by  reading  Dr.  Doddridge's  Family  Ex- 
positor, accompanied  by  rehearsals,  questions, 
remarks  and  reflections,  and  by  the  singing  of 
a  hymn  and  a  prayer.  On  Monday  the  schol- 
ars recite  what  they  can  remember  of  the  ser- 
mons heard  on  the  Lord's  Day  previous  ;  on 
Saturday  the  bills  are  presented  and  punish- 
ments administered." 

Dr.  Pearson  left  the  Academy  in  1786  to 
become  Professor  of  Hebrew  in  Harvard  Col- 
lege, but  he  never  lost  interest  in  the  school. 
He  retained  his  place  upon  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees until  his  death.  He  used  often  to  visit  the 
school  at  examination  times.  The  impression 
which  these  visits  produced  upon  the  scholars 
had   been    vividly   described   by    Dr.    William 

Adams. 

"  There  was  something  so  grand  and  mas- 
sive about  him,"  he  writes,  "  that  it  was  easy 
and  pardonable  in  a  child  to  associate  his  name, 
Eliphalet,  with  the  English  word  elephant 
rather  than  with  its  Hebrew  etymology,  as  yet 
to  him  unknown.  How  deep  and  judicial 
were  his  tones  as  he  addressed  us   in   sonorous 

48 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

Latin  on  examination  days ;  how  his  nostrils 
expanded  Hke  those  of  the  war  horse  as  he  led 
the  hymn  to  the  tune  of  Old  Hundred." 

When,  later,  Andover  Theological  Semi- 
nary was  founded,  it  was  Dr.  Pearson  who 
framed  its  Constitution,  chose  the  site  of  its 
buildings  and  laid  out  the  grounds  with  all  the 
enthusiasm  of  a  young  man.  The  story  is  that 
he  made  the  journey  between  Andover  and 
Newburyport  no  less  than  thirty-six  times  in 
order  to  effect  a  combination  of  the  different 
theological  parties  upon  whose  co-operation  the 
success  of  the  Seminary  depended. 

Dr.  Pearson  was  succeeded  as  Principal  of 
Phillips  Academy  by  Ebenezer  Pemberton. 
Dr.  Pemberton's  reign  was  milder  than  that  of 
his  predecessor,  and  is  memorable  for  the  high 
standard  of  scholarship  which  he  maintained. 
It  was  followed  by  that  of  sturdy  little  Master 
Newman,  who  upheld  the  dignity  of  his  posi- 
tion with  admirable  success  in  spite  of  the 
smallness  of  his  stature.  An  interregnum  suc- 
ceeded his  departure  during  which  the  number 
of  pupils  fell  off  greatly.     When  the  trustees 

49 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

called  John  Adams  from  Colchester  there  were 
but  twenty-three  in  attendance. 

Some  years  ago,  it  was  the  writer's  privilege, 
thanks  to  the  courtesy  of  Dr.  Cecil  Bancroft, 
the  present  Principal  of  Phillips  Academy,  to 
pass  several  pleasant  mornings  on  Andover 
Hill,  turning  the  yellow  leaves  of  the  old  folios 
wherein,  in  faded  old-fashioned  handwriting  are 
inscribed  the  minutes  of  the  earliest  meetings 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  Much  that  is  quaint 
and  amusing  as  well  as  what  is  valuable  and 
interesting  lies  hidden  away  between  the  covers 
of  these  books.  One  turns  their  pages  lovingly, 
almost  reverently,  such  a  charm  of  stately  sim- 
plicity clings  to  the  records  still.  Is  it  a  mat- 
ter of  repairing  a  refractory  pump,  of  purchas- 
ing as  economically  as  possible  a  new  stove,  of 
watering  the  village  elms,  or  of  regulating  the 
swimming  privileges  of  the  boys,  everything  is 
done  with  the  same  dignity  and  consideration. 
The  note  of  economy  is  everywhere  present. 
When  one  remembers  what  distinguished  men 
sat  upon  this  Board,  the  smallness  of  the  means 
at  their  disposal  strikes  us  with  surprise. 

5° 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

At  the  very  first  meeting  of  the  Board  in 
the  house  of  Mr.  Phillips  it  was  voted  to  peti- 
tion the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  for  an 
appropriation  of  books  from  the  libraries  of  the 
"  absentees,"  that  is  to  say,  those  who  were 
fighting  on  the  side  of  the  British. 

In  1779  it  was  voted  that  the  trustees  would 
gratefully  accept  the  loan  of  books  proper  for 
the  use  of  the  school,  "  if  any  gentleman  should 
be  disposed  to  favor  us  with  them  ;  and  we  are 
willing  that  they  should  reserve  to  themselves 
the  liberty  of  using  them  and  agree  to  return 
them  at  whatever  time  the  owner  shall  call  for 
them."  Thanks  were  afterwards  accorded  to 
those  who  had  loaned  the  "  Enfield  Speaker," 
the  "  Pleasing  Instructor,"  and  other  books, 
under  specified  conditions.  Even  twenty  years 
later,  when  the  Board  desired  to  introduce  the 
study  of  "  Musick  "  into  the  Academy,  it  pur- 
chased six  copies  of  the  "  Massachusetts  Com- 
piler," and  directed  that  these  should  be  kept 
in  the  library  and  loaned  to  the  students  of 
that  art. 

In  1800  the  trustees  showed  their  loyalty  to 

5» 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

the  new  Republic  by  appointing  a  committee 
to  "  see  whether  any  plan  could  be  adopted  for 
extending  and  preserving  to  the  citizens  of 
America  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the 
counsels  of  General  Washington  as  delivered 
in  his  address." 

Among  the  more  pleasant  duties  of  the 
Board  was  that  of  acting  as  almoner  for  various 
members  of  the  Phillips  family.  At  a  very 
early  period  in  the  history  of  the  Academy, 
bequests  were  made  by  John  Phillips  of  Exeter 
and  William  Phillips  of  Boston  for  the  pur- 
pose "  of  promoting  the  virtuous  and  pious 
education  of  youth  of  genius  and  serious  dis- 
position." The  decision  as  to  who  should 
receive  this  bounty  rested  with  the  trustees, 
who  gave  the  preference  to  those  whose  serious- 
ness took  the  form  of  a  desire  to  enter  the 
ministry.  Judge  Phillips  left  money  in  his  will 
for  the  distribution  of  religious  literature,  thus 
antedating  the  idea  of  the  American  Tract  So- 
ciety by  some  twenty  years.  After  his  death 
we  meet  with  such  resolutions  as  the  following : 

"  Voted,   that   Dr.    Morse   be    requested   to 

<;* 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

procure  for  the  use  of  the  trustees  5,000  copies 
of  Dr.  Doddridge's  '  Address  to  the  Master  of 
a  Family  on  Family  Religion,'  and  300  copies 
of  the  *  Rise  and  Progress  of  Religion  in  the 
Soul,'  by  the  same  author.  All  for  charitable 
distribution  agreeably  to  the  donation  of  His 
Honor,  Lieut.  Gov.  Phillips,  A.  D.  1803." 

The  school  was  governed  in  a  paternal 
fashion,  with  special  regard  to  the  religious 
interests  of  the  students.  They  were  expected 
to  attend  frequent  devotional  exercises  at  the 
Academy,  and  were  required  by  the  trustees  to 
spend  much  time  in  committing  to  memory 
Dr.  Watts's  Hymns  and  Catechism,  and  other 
improving  works.  Rivalry  in  their  studies  was 
not  encouraged,  lest  it  should  engender  "  un- 
hallowed ambition."  There  were  no  dormi- 
tories before  the  time  of  John  Adams,  the 
students  boarding  with  families  in  the  village 
who  had  been  specially  licensed  by  the  trus- 
tees to  receive  them.  Their  fare  was  simple. 
Josiah  Quincy,  the  elder,  tells  us  that  they 
lived  on  salt  pork,  beef,  cabbage  and  potatoes. 
Pastor  French,  with  whom  he  boarded  in  1779, 

53 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 

allowed  himself  the  luxury  of  white  bread  on 
Sundays,  but  only  because  on  that  day  he  took 
no  other  dinner. 

Boys  were  not  allowed  to  have  locks  on  their 
boxes,  they  might  not  open  an  account  at 
any  village  store,  or  borrow  money  from  one 
another ;  and  they  were  supposed  to  keep  a 
strict  account  of  all  that  they  spent  and  to  pre- 
sent it  on  demand  to  the  Principal  to  be  by 
him  forwarded  to  their  parents.  Fire  arms  were 
strictly  forbidden  and  a  danger  unintelligible 
to  the  modern  reader  was  guarded  against  by 
the  following  mandate : 

Voted,  "  That  the  scholars  be  prohibited 
from  exercising  themselves  in  any  wheel  called 
a  Federal  balloon  or  a  Fandango." 

But  in  spite  of  such  restrictions,  the  means 
whereby  the  students  of  Phillips  Academy  were 
allowed  to  "  exercise  themselves, "  remained 
ample  enough.  Few  schools  are  more  favored 
in  their  surroundings.  The  doors  of  the 
school  room  once  passed,  nature  in  all  her 
variety  and  loveliness  lay  spread  out  before 
them.     The  joy  of  out-door  exercise  after  the 

54 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

confinement  of  lessons  finds  charming  expres- 
sion in  the  Hnes  of  one  who  was  himself  a 
member  of  the  Academy,  under  the  mastership 
of  John  Adams  : 

"  Still  in  the  waters  of  the  dark  Shawshine 

Do  the  young  bathers  splash  and  think  theyWe  clean  ? 

Do  pilgrims  find  their  way  to  Indian  Ridge ^ 

Or  journey  onward  to  the  far-off  bridge^ 

And  bring  to  younger  ears  the  story  back 

Of  the  broad  stream^  the  mighty  Merrimack  ? 

Are  there  still  truant  feet  that  stray  beyond 

These  circling  bounds  to  Pomp^s  or  Haggetf  s  pond^ 

Or  where  the  legendary  name  recalls 

The  fores  f  s  earlier  tenant — *  Deer-jump  Falls  '  ? 

Tes^  every  nook  these  youthful  feet  explore^ 

fust  as  our  sires  and  grandsires  did  of  yore  ; 

So  all  lifes'  opening  paths^  where  nature  led 

Their  fathers'  feet ^  the  children's  children  tread. 

Roll  the  round  century' s  five  score  years  away., 

Call  from  our  storied  past  that  earliest  day." 

— The  School  Boy^  O.  W.  Holmes. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  SCHOOLMASTER  AT  WORK 


"  He  hath  put  it  in  his  heart  that  he  may  teach.'" 

— Exodus  35  :  34.. 


CHAPTER     III 

THE   SCHOOLMASTER  AT  WORK 

1810-1833 


IN  outward  appearance  Mr.  Adams  must  have 
been  a  fine  example  of  the  old-time  school- 
master. He  is  described  as  "  erect,  hand- 
some, of  good  presence,  the  habitual  sternness  of 
his  expression  relieved  by  the  humor  which 
lurked  in  his  full  blue  eyes."  To  the  little 
children  of  Andover  he  was  a  far  more  impor- 
tant figure  than  even  the  dignified  and  learned 
Seminary  professors.  Nestled  in  their  pew 
corners  on  a  Sabbath  morning,  they  watched 
him  with  mingled  admiration  and  fear  as,  "with 
the  prestige  of  one  born  to  command,  he  stepped 
up  the  broad  aisle,  his  great  ivory-headed  cane 
coming  in  before  him  and  ringing  down  with  an 

59 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

emphasis  not  to  be  mistaken."  Even  the  Semi- 
nary students  were  not  above  feeling  a  touch  of 
awe  in  the  presence  of  the  Principal ;  one  of 
them,  himself  afterwards  a  Theological  Professor, 
confesses  that  he  never  saw  that  familiar  form, 
clad  in  gray  and  wearing  a  broad-brimmed  hat, 
appear  upon  the  village  street  that  he  did  not 
involuntarily  stand  a  little  straighter  and  put 
on  an  air  of  professional  gravity. 

In  the  preface  to  his  excellent  little  "  Trea- 
tise on  the  Proper  Training  of  Children"  John 
Adams  has  described  his  ideal  of  the  Christian 
teacher ;  and  as  we  read  his  wise  and  simple 
words  it  is  the  writer's  own  figure  which  rises 
before  our  eyes :  "  A  teacher,"  writes  Mr. 
Adams,  "  if  he  would  be  successful,  must  love 
his  work.  No  minister  could  win  the  respect 
of  his  people  if  he  regarded  his  profession 
merely  as  a  means  of  attaining  some  more  hon- 
orable or  lucrative  employment.  So  a  teacher 
must  highly  esteem  his  own  duties  ;  he  must 
take  pleasure  in  communicating  knowledge ; 
he  must  allow  no  outside  subject  to  engross  his 
mind,  and  he  must  look   forward  to  no  other 

60 


J. 


s 
s 


■5  ^' 


^1 


«3 
S 


^ 

e 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

occupation.        He    should    be    affable    and    of 
correct  taste  as  to  what  constitutes   true  polite- 
ness.    If  a  man  be  faulty  in  his  gait,  stiff  in  his 
manner,  or  rough  in   his  address,  he  will  suffer 
much  loss  of  influence  or  stamp  upon  his  pupils 
his  own   deformities.      He   must,  of  course,  be 
well   versed   in   those    branches   of  knowledge 
which   he   is  called  upon   to  teach  ;  but  espe- 
cially  must  he  be   possessed  of  a  large  share  of 
common   sense.      He  must  have  a  quick  and 
accurate   discrimination  of  character,  so  that  in 
a  glance  he  may  read  from  the  faces  of  his  pu- 
pils what  are  their  capacities  and  temperaments. 
One  may  need  the  curb  and  another  the  spur ; 
one  may  be  of  tender  conscience,  pained  at  the 
very  thought  of  doing  wrong ;  another  is  mis- 
chievous and  takes  delight  in  wrong-doing  for 
its  own  sake.     Instructions,  warnings,  counsels 
and   reproof  must  be  adapted  to   the  need  of 
each  pupil.     The  teacher  who  does  not  do  this 
is  like  the  quack  who  administers  to  every  pa- 
tient, no  matter  from  what  malady  he   may  be 
suffering,   an   equal  portion   of  the   same   nos- 
trum.     He  must  possess  the   art  of  self-gov- 

6i 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

ernment.  You  would  not  intrust  your  favorite 
horse  to  an  irritable  or  passionate  man,  lest  he 
should  abuse  and  spoil  him ;  and  will  you, 
parents,  commit  to  such  a  one  your  children, 
those  delicate  and  tender  plants,  who  from  a 
very  slight  injury  will  wither  and  die,  but  who, 
with  proper  care,  will  grow,  flourish  and  bring 
forth  fruit  to  life  everlasting  ?  "  And  finally  : 
"  The  teacher  must  have  a  deep  and  abiding 
sense  of  his  responsibility.  He,  next  to  the 
parent,  is  responsible  for  the  character  of  his 
pupils.  Let  him  feel  the  full  weight  of  this 
truth.  Let  him  cease  not  to  implore  the  divine 
blessing  upon  his  efforts.  Let  him  labor  in 
season  and  out  of  season  to  correct  their  way- 
wardness, to  further  their  progress,  and  to  pro- 
duce in  them  a  tenderness  of  conscience  in  re- 
spect to  every  duty  both  toward  their  fellow- 
men  and  toward  God." 

It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  we  possess 
so  little  information  as  to  the  details  of  Mr. 
Adams's  work,  while  Principal  of  Phillips 
Academy.  Many  letters  are  in  our  possession 
from  old  pupils  which  unite  in  expressions  of 

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A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

admiration  for  his  qualities  as  a  man  ;  but 
almost  all  of  them  date  from  the  last  years  of 
the  life  in  Andover,  when  he  had  delegated  the 
greater  part  of  the  classroom  work  to  younger 
teachers,  and  had  confined  his  attention  to  the 
general  conduct  and  to  the  religious  interests  of 
the  school.  Thus  we  are  forced  to  judge  of 
his  professional  work  by  the  general  estimation 
in  which  he  was  held,  and  by  the  known  results 
of  his  labors.  In  the  histories  of  Andover  he 
is  mentioned  as  "  a  wise  and  efficient  discipli- 
narian," "an  able  master,  severe,  yet  kindly, 
a  friend  to  all  good  students."  "  His  attain- 
ments, if  not  brilliant,  were  substantial.  What 
he  knew  he  knew  thoroughly  and  he  had  an 
unusual  faculty  for  communicating  knowledge 
to  the  minds  of  others." 

Mr.  Adams  was  thirty-eight  years  old  when 
he  came  to  Phillips  Academy.  He  remained 
its  Principal  for  more  than  twenty-two  years, 
his  term  of  service  exceeding  in  length  that  of 
any  other  Principal  excepting  Dr.  Moses  Tay- 
lor and  the  present  Principal,  Dr.  Bancroft. 
He   found  the  Academy   weak   and   disorgan- 

6? 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 


ized ;  he  left  it  one  of  the  strongest  schools 
in  New  England.  His  administration  marks 
the  transition  between  the  first  or  formative 
period  of  the  school,  and  its  second  or  modern 
period.  Less  brilliant  than  his  successor,  Dr. 
Taylor,  his  patient  labors  prepared  the  way  for 
the  successful  career  of  that  remarkable  educa- 
tor. During  the  early  years  of  his  work  for 
the  school,  he  enriched  the  curriculum  by  the 
introduction  of  new  subjects.  Thucydides  and 
Herodotus  were  added  to  the  classics  already 
studied.  He  also  issued  the  first  annual  cata- 
logues of  the  school  and  held  "  public  exhibi- 
tions "  which  attracted  much  attention.  The 
infusion  of  new  energy  had  a  most  favorable 
eflfect  upon  the  growth  of  the  Academy. 
Within  a  few  years  the  attendance  was  trebled, 
and  by  1817  the  number  of  scholars  had  in- 
creased from  twenty  to  one  hundred.  The 
graduates  of  Phillips  Academy  stood  high  in 
the  favor  of  the  college  examiners  and  seldom 
failed  to  pass  their  entrance  examinations  with 
credit  to  themselves  and  their  master.  About 
eleven  hundred    boys   were   admitted   by   Mr. 

64 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

Adams  to  the  Academy.  Many  became  dis- 
tinguished in  after  life.  Among  those  who 
studied  under  him  were  General  H.  K.  Oliver, 
Professor  Charles  D.  Cleveland,  Doctors  Ezra 
Stiles  Gannett  and  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  President 
Alva  Woods,  Samuel  Williston,  the  founder 
of  Williston  Seminary,  and  Luther  Wright,  its 
first  principal.  Presidents  Leonard  Woods,  Jr., 
Henry  Durant  and  William  A.  Stearns,  all  three 
classmates  at  the  Academy,  Bishops  Mark.  De 
W.  Howe  and  Thomas  M.  Clark,  the  Hon. 
George  F.  Marsh,  Governor  W.  W.  Hoppin, 
Horatio  Greenough,  the  sculptor,  Robert  Ran- 
toul,  Theodore  Weld,  N.  P.  Willis,  the  poet, 
Edmund  Quincy,  Ray  Palmer,  Horatio  B. 
Hackett,  Josiah  Quincy  and  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes. 

The  morning  when  Principal  Adams  first 
visited  the  Academy  to  assume  his  new  duties 
was  surely  a  memorable  one  in  the  annals  of 
the  school.  Yet  at  the  time  there  was  nothing 
to  mark  the  occasion  as  being  of  special  sig- 
nificance. With  characteristic  modesty,  Mr. 
Adams  chose  to  go  to  the  school-room  alone, 

65 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

unaccompanied  by  any  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees.  But  though  all  outward  state  was 
lacking,  he  went,  he  tells  us,  with  a  heart  bur- 
dened by  the  sense  of  his  solemn  responsibili- 
ties and  with  the  earnest  prayer  that,  by  the 
blessing  of  God,  he  might  discharge  his  duties 
in  all  respects  according  to  the  wishes  of  the 
pious  founders. 

The  Academy  in  which  Mr.  Adams  first 
taught  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1818.  In  its 
stead  the  Trustees  erected  "  an  elegant  brick 
building,"  containing  a  large  lower  school-room 
and  an  upper  room  for  gymnastics  and  decla- 
mations. This  "  classic  hall,"  the  scene  of  his 
most  successful  labors,  may  still  be  seen, 
though  the  old  school-room  has  long  since 
been  turned  to  other  uses. 

The  entrance  door  of  the  school-room  was 
on  the  side  and  was  flanked  by  two  high 
walled  desks  or  "  thrones."  In  one  of  these  sat 
the  Principal  and  in  the  other  his  first 
assistant.  From  the  desk  platforms  ran  to  the 
ends  of  the  room,  affording  suitable  space  for 
recitations.     The   floor  sloped   upward   to  the 

66 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

opposite  wall.  In  the  foreground  were  the 
seats  of  the  younger  pupils,  while  those  of  the 
older  occupied  the  rear.  On  the  end  wall, 
halfway  between  floor  and  ceiling,  hung  the 
school  clock  with  the  inscription,  "  Youth  is 
the  seed  time  of  Life."  Every  Monday  morn- 
ing this  was  wound  by  the  Principal,  who  usu- 
ally improved  the  occasion  by  remarks  on  the 
moral  of  the  clock  face. 

*■'■  How  all  comes  back  !      The  upward-slanting  Jloor^ 
The  masters^  thrones  that  flank  the   central  door^ 
The  long  outstretching  alleys  that  divide 
The  rows  of  desks  that  stand  on  either  side^ 
The  staring  boys^  a  face  to  every  desk^ 
Bright^  dull^  pale^  bloomings  common^  picturesque. 
Grave  is  the  master  s  look^  his  forehead  wears 
Thick  rows  of  wrinkles^  prints  of  worrying  cares. 
Uneasy  lie  the  heads  of  all  that  rule^ 
His  most  of  all  whose  kingdom  is  a  school. 
Supreme  he  sits.      Before  the  awful  frown 
That  bends  his  brows  the  boldest  eye  goes  down. 
Not  more  submissive  Israel  heard  and  saw 
At  Sinai^s  foot  the  Giver  of  the  Law.''  * 

The   first   half  hour  of  the   school   day  was 

spent  in   devotional   exercises.     The   desks  of 


*  "  The  School  Boy,"  O.  W.  Holmes. 

67 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

the    students     had    movable     lids.       At    the 
appointed   time   the   monitors,  all   older   boys, 
rapped    down   their    lids,   calling  order.      Mr. 
Adams  then  rose  and  pronounced  an   invoca- 
tion.    Scripture  was  read  in  course  with  notes 
from    Scott's     Commentaries.     A    hymn    was 
then     given     out     from    a    collection    called 
"  Watts'  and  Select."     The  music  was  led  by 
a  violin,  and  all  were   expected   to  join.     An 
impressive  prayer  followed,  during  which   Mr. 
Adams  occasionally  opened  his  eyes  to  detect 
any    indecorum    among    the    pupils.      These 
important   preliminaries   having  been  disposed 
of,    the    discipline    of    the    school    was    next 
attended   to ;   after  which   came   a  call   for  the 
class  in  Daboll's  Arithmetic.     Mr.  Adams  and 
his  first  assistant  heard  classes   upon  their  re- 
spective  platforms;   two   other    teachers   heard 
recitations    in   the    adjoining   rooms.     Once   a 
week  a  writing  master  and  a  music  master  vis- 
ited   the  school    to    give    instruction    in    their 
respective  departments.    Every  Monday  a  class 
recited   in  "  Mason   on   Self  Knowledge,"  and 
on   Saturdays   a   parsing  exercise   was   held  in 

68 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

which  the  grammatical  antagonists  were  matched 
against  each  other  in  somewhat  the  style  of 
the  old-fashioned  spelling  school.  We  may 
note  in  passing  that  the  writing  master  re- 
ceived for  his  services  the  sum  of  two 
dollars  per  week,  while  the  fee  of  the  music 
master,  who  also  taught  singing,  was  one  dollar 
weekly. 

On  Wednesday  afternoons  the  school  ad- 
journed to  the  large  upper  hall,  where  *'pieces" 
were  declaimed  from  a  platform  in  the  presence 
of  the  assembled  scholars.  School  Readers, 
which  early  in  the  present  century  displaced  the 
Bible  and  Psalter  as  English  text-books,  usually 
supplied  the  material  for  this  school-boy  elo- 
quence. "  I  remember,"  writes  in  1878  Bishop 
Clark,  of  Rhode  Island,  "how  more  than  half 
a  century  ago  I  made  my  first  declamation.  I 
had  selected  as  best  befitting  my  powers  a  gem 
from  the  "  Columbian  Orator  "  entitled  "  The 
Wonders  of  Nature,"  beginning, "  How  mighty, 
how  majestic,  how  mysterious,  are  Nature's 
works ! "  When  I  took  my  seat  Principal 
Adams  remarked  that  if  I  would  recite  my  les- 

69 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

sons  as  well  as  I  spoke  my  piece  he  would  be 
better  satisfied  with  me.  It  was  rather  a 
doubtful  compliment,  but  as  it  was  the  only 
one  which  I  ever  received  at  the  Academy  I 
was  disposed  to  make  the  most  of  it.  His  old 
pupils  will  remember  that  Master  Adams  was 
not  given  to  flattery." 

Most  edifying  are  the  accounts  which  have 
come  down  to  us  of  the  proceedings  of  the 
Philomathean  Society,  an  organization  formed 
in  Mr.  Adams's  day  and  with  his  approval  for 
the  encouragement  of  literary  interests  among 
the  younger  boys  of  the  school. 

For  some  years  the  seniors  had  had  their 
own  society,  known  as  the  Social  Fraternity  ; 
but  from  this  the  little  boys  were  excluded,  and 
they  accordingly  formed  a  Society  of  their  own. 
Its  founder  was  Horatio  B.  Hackett,  and  the 
age  of  its  charter  members  averaged  fourteen. 
Their  meetings  were  conducted  with  extraordi- 
nary propriety,  and  the  topics  with  which  they 
grappled  in  debate  were  of  the  most  general 
interest :  "  Do  females  possess  minds  as  capa- 
ble of  improvement  as  males  ?  "     (Decided  in 

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A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

the  affirmative.)  "Are  females  as  worthy  of 
being  introduced  into  society  as  males  ? " 
(Decided  in  the  negative).  "  Is  extensive 
erudition  calculated  to  produce  more  pleasure 
than  wealth  ?  "  and  "  Is  the  condition  of  the 
monarch  happier  than  that  of  the  beggar  ?  " 
This  society  very  early  in  its  history  became 
possessed  of  a  library  containing  fully  twenty- 
eight  volumes  (all  donated).  Among  them 
were  Johnson's  "  Rambler,"  the  "  Lady  of  the 
Lake,"  "  Deism  Refuted,"  Pope's  "  Essay  on 
Man,"  a  "Dissertation  on  Revelation,"  and 
twelve  volumes  of  the  "  Spectator."  After  this 
additions  to  their  store  were  made  at  the  rate 
of  about  three  books  a  year.  The  life  of  Dr. 
Doddridge,  and  Miller's  "  Clerical  Manners  " 
were  among  their  most  highly  prized  acqui- 
sitions. A  great  desire  was  felt  to  own  a  life 
of  Columbus,  but  this  the  state  of  the  treasury 
did  not  permit.  When  books  were  so  hard  to 
obtain,  we  appreciate  at  its  full  value  a  sacrifice 
made  to  principle,  when  "  Guy  Mannering  " 
and  Campbell's  "Journeys,"  being  judged  "im- 
proper," were  condemned  to  be  burned,  and  an 

71 


THE    STORY    OF     JOHN    ADAMS 

official  of  the  society  was  instructed  to  carry- 
out  the  sentence  "  immediately  I  "  Our  admira- 
tion of  this  moral  triumph  prepares  us  for  the 
following  entry  :  "  Adjourned  for  two  weeks  on 
account  of  a  revival,  by  which  we  hope  to  be 
more  profited  than  by  meeting  together  for 
performance." 

That  all  of  the  Phillips  boys  were  not  as  ex- 
emplary as  the  members  of  the  Philomathean 
Society  is  shown  by  the  following  amusing  anec- 
dote for  which  Josiah  Quincy  is  our  authority. 
In  spite  of  Mr.  Adams's  sedulous  care  books 
more  exciting  than  the  "  Rambler "  and  the 
"  Lady  of  the  Lake  "  did  creep  into  the  school, 
though  their  ultimate  fate  was  pretty  sure  to  be 
confiscation. 

There  was  a  young  man  in  the  school  from 
Connecticut,  and  he  being  "  a  very  abandoned 
sinner "  had  brought  with  him  about  a  dozen 
little  plays  unbound,  the  comedies  and  farces  of 
the  day.  He  had  not  had  them  more  than  two 
days  when  Mr.  Adams  heard  of  them,  and  the 
next  day  in  addressing  the  school  said,  "  I  un- 
derstand Leavenworth  has  brought  some  very 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

improper  books  here.  Leavenworth,  you  will 
to-morrow  do  up  all  your  books  not  connected 
with  your  classical  studies  and  bring  them  to 
me."  Consequently  the  next  morning  Leaven- 
worth brought  a  little  bundle,  handed  it  to  the 
master  and  it  was  laid  in  the  clothes  closet. 
When  the  last  day  of  the  term  came  Mr. 
Adams  produced  the  bundle  and  said,  "  You 
remember  that  on  the  first  day  of  school  I  di- 
rected Leavenworth  to  bring  me  every  book 
not  connected  with  his  classical  studies.  We 
will  now  see  what  the  titles  of  these  very  im- 
portant books  are."  He  opened  the  bundle, 
and  the  title  of  the  first  book  was  Holy  Bible. 
"  What,"  he  said  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  "  you 
should  have  read  a  chapter  in  this  every  morn- 
ing before  breakfast."  Leavenworth  replied  in 
the  most  calm  and  simple  manner,  "  You 
ordered  me.  Sir,  to  bring  you  all  books  not 
connected  with  my  classical  studies." 

But  cases  where  the  boys  got  the  better  of 
their  Master  were  rare  enough  to  be  long  re- 
membered. In  general  they  held  him  in  too 
great  awe  to  venture  upon  pleasantries.    Parents 

73 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

and  teachers  had  rigid  ideas  of  discipline  in  those 
days.     The  sentiment  of  the  old  couplets  : 

i  "  Let  others  praise  the  storm-defying  oak^ 

Proof  Against  the  whirlwind  and  the  lightning  stroke., 
The  graceful  willow^  and  the  aspen  tree  ; 
But  birch.,  the  useful.,  stinging  birch  for  me  I  " 

found  universal  acceptance.  Master  Adams 
would  have  felt  himself  derelict  to  duty  had  he 
failed  to  use  this  instrument  of  wrath  when  the 
occasion  seemed  to  demand  it.  Nevertheless 
his  kind  heart  and  sound  common  sense  agreed 
in  condemning  a  frequent  resort  to  corporal 
punishment,  and  we  find  him  employing  all  sorts 
of  curious  devices  to  avoid  it.  When  dealing 
with  little  children  labels  were  composed  to  fit 
the  crime  and  were  hung  around  the  neck  of  the 
offender;  wooden  bits  were  supposed  to  correct 
the  habit  of  whispering,  and  leather  blinders  to 
be  effective  in  the  case  of  idleness.  Where  the 
offender  was  older,  the  Master's  practical  insight 
into  character  often  enabled  him  to  bring  about 
the  desired  ends  of  repentance  and  submission 
by  the  gentler  measures  of  persuasion  or  appeal. 

74 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

A  simple  illustration  of  these  methods  may  be 
given  in  Mr.  Adams's  own  words  : 

"  One  morning  many  years  ago  a  good  lady, 
one  of  our   neighbors,  came  to   my  house  and 
entered  a  complaint  against   her  adopted  son. 
In  the  absence  of  his  father  he  had  been  obsti- 
nate and  rebellious.     She  asked  me  to  relieve 
her  and  punish  him   severely.     The  boy  had 
watched   his   mother,  saw  her   enter  my  house 
and  prepared  for  the  worst.      He  knew  that  he 
deserved  severe   punishment  and  he  expected 
nothing  less.     To  prepare  as  far  as  possible  for 
the  painful  experience  he  went  to   his  chamber 
and  put  on    four   waistcoats   so   that   he  might 
not  feel   the   stroke   of  the   rod.     Thus  accou- 
tered   he   left  home    panting  and   entered    the 
Academy   at  the    ringing  of  the  bell,      I    said 
not  a  word  during   the   day,  which  excited  his 
wonder,  but  when  school  closed   in  the   after- 
noon I  gave  him  a  signal  to  remain  and  follow  me. 
We  entered  my  room  and   I   locked  the  door ; 
he  began  to  breathe  very  hard.      I  said,'  There 
is     a     chair,     sit    down.'       After    giving    him 
some  time  for  reflection,  I   said,  *  I   think  your 

75 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

own  mother  is  not  living ;  how  old  were  you 
when  she  died  ? '  'I  was  very  young.'  *  Who 
took  care  of  you  and  your  little  sister  after  the 
death  of  your  mother  ? '  '  Oh,  Aunt  took  us 
to  her  house.'  '  Then  your  uncle  and  aunt 
have  acted  the  part  of  mother  and  father  to 
you  since  infancy.  They  have  cared  for  you 
by  day  and  by  night,  sick  or  well.  They  have 
loved  you  and  desired  your  best  good.  I  hope 
then  that  you  have  been  grateful  and  have  tried 
to  please  them  in  everything.'  I  saw  that  I 
had  touched  a  chord  that  would  vibrate.  His 
chin  quivered.  I  then  said  very  pleasantly, 
*  You  may  go.'  He  seemed  confounded,  as  if 
he  had  not  understood  me  aright.  I  said  again, 
'  You  are  dismissed.'  He  rose  from  his  seat, 
and  with  many  sobs  left  the  room  angry  with 
no  one  but  himself.  He  went  home,  sought 
his  mother  and  threw  himself  on  her  neck,  and 
amid  many  tears  asked  her  forgiveness." 

In  the  later  years  the  Principal  often  advised 
younger  teachers  against  the  indiscriminate  use 
of  the  rod.  Writing  to  his  own  son,  who  was 
a  teacher  at  Norwich,  he  characterizes  flogging 

76 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

as  "  a  strange  work  "  and  "  a  catastrophe  to  be 
avoided  if  possible."  His  feeling  was  also  in- 
tense against  the  prevailing  custom  of  punish- 
ing in  public.  "Surely,"  he  once  wrote  with 
simple  devoutness,  "  our  Saviour  knew  what 
was  in  man  when  He  said,  *  If  thy  brother  sin 
against  thee  go  tell  him  his  fault  between  thee 
and  him  alone!'  " 

From  references  in  old  letters  we  gain  side- 
lights which  show  that  whatever  may  have  been 
the  strictness  of  the  Principal  his  personal  re- 
lations with  the  boys  were  kindly.  "  Once 
when  a  very  little  lad,"  writes  one,  "  I  was 
greatly  surprised  to  see  my  grave  teacher  laugh- 
ing heartily  at  the  antics  of  another  youngster 
in  the  gymnasium.  I  whispered  encouragingly 
to  myself,  'He  is  not  so  very  terrible  after 
all.'  "  Another  has  never  forgotten  his  thrill  of 
pleasure  when,  after  going  through  a  long  and 
difficult  recitation  in  the  old  upper  hall,  he 
heard  his  austere  Master  say  heartily,  "  Now, 
you  have  conquered."  "I  remember,"  writes 
another,  "  how  pleased  Mr.  Adams  seemed  to 
be  when  he  was  able  to  give  a   good  report  of 

77 


THE     STORY    OF     JOHN    ADAMS 

me  in  person  to  my  parents."  "  I  was  once 
toiling  up  Andover  Hill,"  writes  Bishop  Clark 
of  Rhode  Island,  "  carrying  a  box  writing-desk 
made  solidly  after  the  fashion  of  the  day,  and 
was  finding  it  a  heavier  load  than  I  had  ex- 
pected, when  Mr.  Adams  came  by,  driving  his 
old  "  shay."  He  stopped,  accosted  me  kindly, 
and  told  me  to  put  the  desk  into  the  chaise, 
saying  that  he  would  deliver  it  for  me  at  the 
house  of  my  landlady.  From  that  hour  the 
stern  instructor  was  merged  into  the  fatherly 
friend  and  guide." 

But  we  have  not  yet  touched  upon  that 
which  was  the  keynote  of  Principal  Adams's 
character  and  the  secret  of  his  influence  upon 
the  life  of  the  school.  Whether  he  executed 
judgment  or  showed  mercy  ;  whether  he  ap- 
peared as  guardian  of  the  law  or  indulged  his 
love  of  practical  helpfulness  ;  all  his  acts  had 
their  root  in  the  soil  of  a  deeply  religious  na- 
ture. In  his  plans  for  the  school,  in  his  ambi- 
tions for  its  growth  and  prosperity,  he  had  but 
one  aim — to  lay  as  securely  as  possible  in  the 
character    of    every    pupil    the    foundation    of 

78 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 


Christian  manhood.  In  the  pursuit  of  this 
object  he  spared  no  pains  ;  and  in  it  he  was 
pre-eminently  successful.  He  was  not  content 
to  lead  the  regular  devotional  exercises  of  the 
school  or  to  teach  a  Bible  class  in  the  Academy 
on  Sunday  mornings.  During  the  week  he 
held  prayer-meetings  in  the  recitation  rooms 
and  at  his  house,  at  which  he  sought  to  present 
the  claims  of  religion  personally  to  each  indi- 
vidual boy.  He  bore  the  spiritual  interest  of 
his  scholars  continually  upon  his  heart  and 
made  a  practice  of  praying  for  each  by  name  in 
his  private  devotions.  So  sincere  was  the 
Master's  piety  and  so  unaffected  was  his  unsel- 
fish concern  for  the  souls  of  those  under  his 
care,  that  even  boys  not  naturally  inclined  to 
things  religious,  respected  his  transparent  and 
manly  character,  and  paid  at  least  an  outward 
reverence  to  the  forms  which  he  held  dear. 

Often  his  influence  went  much  further.  We 
hold  in  our  hands  a  worn  and  yellow  clipping 
from  the  "  Troy  Daily  Whig,"  the  date  of  which 
is  indicated  by  the  headline,  "  For  President, 
Henry    Clay."      Half-way   down   the   editorial 

79 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

page  we  come  across  the  following  paragraph 
contributed  "  by  a  minister  from  Kentucky  ": 
"  While  on  a  voyage  returning  from  Europe," 
writes  this  gentleman,  "  I  noticed  peculiarities 
in  the  manner  and  appearance  of  our  Captain. 
There  was  a  seriousness  in  his  deportment  and 
a  mildness  in  the  management  of  the  crew,  an 
abstinence  from  profanity  quite  unusual  in  his 
profession,  and  a  general  amiability  in  his  in- 
tercourse with  the  passengers.  Curious  to  know 
whether  he  was  a  professor  of  religion,  I  took 
occasion  to  introduce  conversation  with  him. 
Finding  him  one  evening  in  a  contemplative 
mood,  watching  the  passing  waves,  I  began  my 
inquiries.  I  learned  that  he  had  not  had  pious 
parents,  and  that  his  boyhood  had  been  wild 
and  unpromising.  '  But,'  said  he, '  do  you  know 
one  Mr.  Adams,  who  for  a  long  time  kept  the 
Phillips  Academy  at  Andover  ? '  *  Yes,'  was 
my  reply.  *  Well,  to  him  my  father  sent  me, 
because  I  could  not  be  managed  at  home.  T 
attended  his  school  and  boarded  in  his  family. 
The  old  gentleman  made   me  read  the  Bible, 

listen  to  his  prayers  and  learn  the  Assembly's 

80 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

Catechism.  I  disliked  the  whole  thing  at  the 
time,  but  there  was  no  escaping  it,  and  the  re- 
sult has  been  that  Mr.  Adams's  teachings  have 
followed  me  into  all  parts  of  the  world,  and 
have  preserved  me  from  the  common  immoral- 
ities of  a  seafaring  life.'  " 

This  incident  is  typical  of  many  others.  The 
good  which  Mr.  Adams  did  lived  after  him  in 
the  changed  life  of  many  a  Phillips  boy.  Un- 
der no  other  Principal  have  so  many  boys 
made  public  profession  of  Christianity  while  in 
the  Academy,  and  no  other  has  sent  out  such 
large  numbers  into  the  work  of  the  ministry 
and  the  mission  field.  "  Dr.  Adams,"  writes 
the  Rev.  William  Edwards  Park,  "  imparted 
an  impulse  which  will  never  die  to  the  institu- 
tion into  which  he  came  as  a  new  moral  force." 


CHAPTER  IV 

LEAVES  FROM  OLD  LETTERS 


**  Once  more  to  time'' s  old  grwveyard  I  return^ 

And  scrape  the  moss  from  memory''  s  pictured  urn.'''' 

— O.  W.  Holmes. 


CHAPTER  IV 

LEAVES  FROM  OLD  LETTERS 


APART  from  the  published  reminis- 
cences of  Ohver  Wendell  Holmes 
and  Josiah  Quincy,  the  most  interest- 
ing descriptions  which  remain  to  us  of  life  in 
Phillips  Academy  under  Principal  Adams  are 
found  in  the  letters  of  Dr.  William  Goodell, 
the  well-known  missionary  and  translator  of 
the  Scriptures,  and  of  William  Person. 

Both  of  these  boys  belonged  to  the  class  of 
foundation  scholars,  and  their  letters  cast  light 
upon  this  marked  feature  of  the  school  life. 
The  foundation  boys  were  for  the  most  part 
older  than  the  other  students,  and  were  almost 
always  candidates  for  the  Theological  Semin- 
ary.    This  gave  them   favor  with  the   authori- 

8s 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 

ties  as  "  hopefully  pious  ; "  but  produced  a  less 
favorable  effect  upon  the  minds  of  their  school- 
mates, over  whom  they  were  often  appointed 
guardians  and  monitors.  There  were,  how- 
ever, exceptions  to  the  rule,  and  some  of  the 
most  sterling  characters  in  the  Academy  were 
to  be  found  among  them.  Dr.  Goodell  won 
love  and  respect  from  his  earliest  days,  and 
"no  one,"  writes  Josiah  Quincy,  "could  have 
been  more  loved  than  our  gentle  Pelly !  "  * 

William  Person's  letters  are  preserved  in  a 
quaint  little  brown  volume,  rarely  met  with 
to-day.  Under  their  cloak  of  old-fashioned 
formality  and  stilted  diction,  these  records  of  a 
life  of  unfulfilled  promise  still  throb  with  gen- 
uine human  feeling,  and  stir  our  hearts  by 
their   revelations   of  unconscious  heroism. 

Of  Person's  parentage  and  early  life  noth- 
ing was  known.  "  They  picked  me  up  in 
a  tan  yard,"  he  would  say,  "  and  that  was  all 
they   could  find   out  about   me.      I  was  just  a 


*  A  nickname  given  by  his  schoolmates  to  Person,  who, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  time,  made  use  of  the  Latin  sig- 
nature Pelliparius  (from  pellus,  a  hide,  and  pario,  to  finish). 

86 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

person."  It  was  to  the  kindness  of  an  un- 
known friend  that  he  owed  the  first  months  of 
his  schooHng  at  Phillips  Academy.  But  this 
support  was  early  removed,  and  he  was  left  to 
shift  for  himself 

Of  his  coming  to  Andover,  he  writes  as  fol- 
lows :  "  I  had  long  panted  for  an  education, 
conscious  that  it  was  the  surest  passport  to 
glory ;  but  no  means  for  obtaining  one  had 
ever  offered  till  now.  With  what  avidity  and 
delight  did  I  seize  the  opportunity,  and  look 
forward  to  fame  and  felicity.  Being  considered 
as  sufficiently  acquainted  with  English  to  begin 
the  languages,  I  directed  my  attention  to  their 
immediate  study.  Phillips  Academy  in  An- 
dover, Massachusetts,  being  the  most  celebrated 
institution  of  the  kind  in  America,  for  its  pre- 
eminent literary  and  moral  advantages,  its 
benevolent  endowments,  mode  of  instruction, 
and  more  especially  for  its  illustrious  Principal, 
I  resolved,  if  possible,  to  get  admission  there. 
For  this  purpose,  I  left  Providence  for  Ando- 
ver on  foot,  a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  on  Wed- 
nesday morning,  March  2,  1814.      I  arrived   a 

87 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 


Boston  in  the  evening  ;  and  the  following  day, 
at  four  o'clock  p.  m.,  reached  Andover,  twenty 
miles  from  Boston." 

"Andover,  April  4,  18 14. 

"  I  need  not  tell  you  that  I  am  pleased  with 
my  situation.  Here  are  many  scholars,  years 
older  than  myself,  who  are  studying  the  lan- 
guages ;  and  you  may  judge  whether  I  feel 
encouraged  when  I  tell  you  that  after  reciting 
my  first  lesson,  Mr.  Adams  asked  me  where  I 
had  studied  the  Latin  grammar.  Nor  will  the 
scholars  be  persuaded  that  I  never  studied  it 
till  I  came  here.  I  do  not  mention  this  to 
boast,  but  merely  to  let  you  know  that  I  feel 
encouraged. 

"  The  exercises  at  the  Academy  are  delightful. 
They  are  introduced  in  the  morning  with  pray- 
ers, reading  the  Bible,  and  singing  one  of  Watts' 
psalms  or  hymns,  and  are  concluded  in  the  same 
manner  in  the  afternoon.  Every  scholar  must 
learn  to  sing,  and  those  of  the  senior  class  to 
comment  on  scriptural  texts.  Mr.  Adams  de- 
lights in  such  exercise  ;  and  I  find  that  the  most 

88 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

pious  are  his  peculiar  favorites.  We  have  a 
writing  and  a  singing  master,  besides  the  pre- 
ceptor and  assistant.  It  is  a  kind  of  college, 
and  indeed  I  am  informed  that  all  the  branches 
taught  in  the  freshman  and  the  greater  part  of 
the  sophomore  classes  in  Brown  University  are 
taught  here.  The  scholars  generally  stay  here 
three  years.  Every  Wednesday  afternoon  is 
wholly  appropriated  to  declaiming.  We  have 
a  fine  large  hall,  stage,  curtain,  wings,  etc.  We 
have  most  excellent  preaching  here,  especially 
on  Sunday  evenings  at  the  chapel — and  their 
music,  O  Heavens  !  '  Tis  enough  to  animate 
the  stupid  marble!" 

"Andover,  May  20,  18 14. 
"  Vacation  for  a  fortnight  commenced  Wednes- 
day. I  underwent  an  examination  before  the 
trustees  tolerably  well.  One  or  two  scholars 
besides  myself  will  spend  the  vacation  here ; 
all  the  rest  are  gone.  It  seems  a  little  lone- 
some, and  I  feel  a  little  homesick,  I  confess. 
Mr.  Adams  will  go  to  Boston  on  Monday.  He 
will   stop   at   Dr.   P.'s   and  perhaps   tarry   one 

89 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

night.  He  has  kindly  offered  to  bring  any- 
thing you  may  please  to  send.  Have  I  not 
told  you  before  that  he  was  one  of  the  best  of 
men  ?  Not  only  the  instructor,  the  guardian — 
but  he  is  the  father  of  his  pupils  !  An  appel- 
lation which  by  no  means  belongs  to  every  pre- 
ceptor. But  do  not  let  him  know  what  I  have 
said  about  him." 

"  Phillips  Academy,  June  i8. 
"  I  will  relate  to  you  the  order  of  our  studies, 
which,  while  it  may  amuse,  may  also  serve  to 
apologize  for  my  delay.  I  will  begin  on  Sun- 
day, as  that  is  the  first  day  of  the  week.  If  we 
are  absent  from  meeting,  where  our  attendance 
is  strictly  required,  we  are  noted  for  absence  by 
some  one  of  the  monitors,  and  our  names  are 
reported  to  the  Principal  on  the  monitor's  bill 
at  the  end  of  the  term.  We  are  liable  to  be 
called  upon  the  next  day  to  give  an  abstract  of 
the  sermons.  For  morning  recitations  on  Mon- 
day we  are  allotted  ten  pages  of  Vincent's  ex- 
planations of  the  Westminster  Assembly's 
Shorter  Catechism.     This  must  be   committed 

90 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

on  Sunday  or  Monday  morning,  as  we  have  no 
other  time.  For  morning  recitations  on  Satur- 
day about  as  many  pages  of  an  inestimable 
tract  by  Mason  on  Self-knowledge ;  this  we 
learn  as  we  have  opportunity  between  Mondav 
and  Saturday.  So  much  of  our  time  and  at- 
tention is  given  to  religious  and  moral  studies. 
It  is  not  only  a  useful  exercise  for  the  memory, 
but  it  is  an  excellent  method  of  bringing  us  to 
an  acquaintance  with  God,  with  mankind  and 
with  ourselves — knowledge  of  the  greatest  pos- 
sible importance.  Mondays,  Tuesdays  and 
Wednesdays  (afternoon  of  the  latter  excepted) 
are  engaged  in  our  common  classical  studies  ; 
ditto  Thursday  and  Friday,  and  Saturday  in  the 
forenoon.  Wednesday  afternoons  in  every 
week  are  devoted  to  declamation.  From  this 
pleasing  exercise  no  scholar  is  excepted.  I  be- 
gin to  get  a  little  acquainted  with  Latin.  Have 
progressed  as  far  as  the  fiftieth  page  in  the 
Epitome.  Write  Latin  from  Clark's  Introduc- 
tion every  Thursday  afternoon.  Also  practice 
writing  one  hour  every  day  on  WrifFord's  plan, 
under   the   direction  of  a  writing   master   from 

9' 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

the  divinity  college.  For  absence,  tardiness, 
and  for  every  detected  foible  our  names  are  en- 
tered on  the  monitor's  bill,  with  the  charges 
respectively  annexed,  which  is  shown  to  the 
Preceptor  at  the  end  of  the  term,  and  we  are 
obliged  to  give  satisfactory  reasons  for  our  re- 
missness in  these  particulars,  etc.  This  relation 
will  at  once  convince  you  that  I  have  but  little 
eisure. 

After  a  few  months  of  happiness  and  success- 
ful study  the  support  upon  which  Person  had 
depended  was  withdrawn,  and  he  found  himself 
obliged  to  become  a  charity  scholar. 

On  October  22,  18 14,  he  writes: 
"I  have  become  *  scholar  of  the  house' — as 
such,  ring  bells,  sweep,  make  fires,  lock  and 
unlock,  etc.  These  services  it  is  true  are  some- 
times unpleasant ;  but  when  I  reflect  that  I  am 
acquiring  an  education  at  the  same  time,  and 
that  too  without  expense,  that  I  am  among  those 
who  will  not  see  me  suffer,  I  think  I  find  greater 
cause  to  congratulate  myself  at  such  good 
fortune,  than  to  lament  its  few  inconveniences." 

9* 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

"December  27,  18 14. 

"  My  situation  requires  me  to  be  pretty  active, 
I  assure  you.  I  rise  early,  breakfast  by  candle 
light,  hie  to  the  Academy  and  make  a  fire  by 
sunrise.  The  rest  of  the  day,  except  what  is 
necessary  for  recitations,  etc.,  is  principally 
taken  up  with  other  duties  incumbent  on  the 
*  Quid  pro  quo '  (for  that  is  the  appellation 
given  me  by  one  of  the  Preceptors  and  by 
which  I  am  distinguished),  so  that  my  time  for 
study  is  the  evening.     Judge  ye  my  leisure  !  " 

The  double  labor  required  by  his  position 
soon  began  to  tell  upon  his  health  and  spirits. 
In  February,  1815,  we  read  : 

"And  first  you  must  know  that  I  have  been 
and  am  still  very  unwell,  more  so  than  at 
any  time  since  I  have  been  in  Andover — in 
consequence,  I  suspect,  of  unusual  exertion 
and  fatigue.  The  cold  has  been  remarkably 
intense  for  several  days,  and  in  addition  to  my 
stated  duties,  which  I  have  before  related  to 
you,  such  as  sweeping,  ringing,  making  fires, 
etc.,  I  have  undertaken  to  cut  wood  also,  and 
prepare  it  for   three   fires,  which  in    this   incle- 

93 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

ment  weather  require  constant  attendance,  and 
consume  the  fuel  almost  as  fast  as  it  is  pre- 
pared. These  duties,  performed  early  and  late, 
together  with  my  classical  exercises,  which  I 
would  not  should  be  in  the  least  neglected, 
have  forced  me  to  uncommon  exertion,  and  at 
length  weakened  all  my  powers,  mental  and 
bodily.  It  is  now  Thursday,  the  first  day  I 
have  been  absent  from  the  Academy  since  I 
returned.  Was  taken  sick  there  yesterday  after- 
noon during  prayer  time.  Made  out  to  get  home, 
however,  and  last  night  swallowed  an  emetic, 
which  had  a  severe  operation — to-day  keep  my 
room — feel  faint  and  languid,  but  am,  I  hope, 
in  a  fair  way  to  recovery.  The  folks  are  very 
kind  to  me,  and  omit  nothing  in  their  power 
to  make  me  comfortable. 

"  The  winter  is  several  degrees  colder  here 
than  in  Providence.  Last  Tuesday  was  the 
coldest  day  I  ever  knew.  The  day  before, 
Monday,  we  raised  the  mercury  at  the  Academy 
from  below  zero  to  38°.  Tuesday,  with  all  our 
fires,  we  could  not  raise  it  to  half  that !  Tues- 
day night  I  slept,  or  rather  staid  in  the  Academy 

94 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

to  keep  the  fires  up,  that  we  might  be  comfort- 
able the  next  day." 

In  his  second  year  he  received  partial  aid 
from  the  charity  funds  and  during  the  last  year 
of  his  course  full  support.  The  circumstances 
under  which  this  bounty  was  obtained  he  re- 
lates as  follows : 

"  We  were  first  severally  examined  as  to  our 
classical  improvement.  Then  separately,  and 
out  of  each  other's  sight  and  hearing,  ques- 
tioned as  to  our  objects  and  views  in  seeking 
and  our  means  for  getting  a  public  education. 
I  was  asked  '  what  was  my  object  in  seeking 
an  education.'  I  answered,  *  to  be  learned  and 
useful.'  I  was  then  asked  '  which  of  the  pro- 
fessions I  intended  to  follow.'  I  replied  'that 
I  had  not  determined  which  ;  that  I  hardly 
dared  to  look  so  far  forward  as  to  the  time 
when  a  positive  decision  would  be  necessary, 
uncertain  as  I  was  of  getting  even  into  college, 
etc'  I  was  asked,  '  what  I  thought  of  being  a 
physician.'  I  again  replied,  '  that  I  had  not 
even  thought  upon  the  subject  sufficiently  to 
justify  a  choice;  that  I    intended   to   be  useful 

95 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

in  some  sphere  or  other,  but  I  could  not  tell 
what  I  should  be  best  calculated  for,  or  to 
what  I  should  be  most  inclined  when  I  should 
leave  college,  etc'  I  was  interrogated  no 
farther  (except  as  to  my  means,  concerning 
which  I  gave  a  ready  and  obvious  answer),  al- 
though I  saw  plainly  that  these  answers  were 
not  altogether  satisfactory. 

"After  being  thus  examined,  we  severally  re- 
tired again  to  the  Assistant's  room.  The  com- 
mittee soon  rose,  and  all  except  the  Principal, 
who  remained  to  declare  the  result,  departed. 
Br.,  M'c.  and  B.  were  voted  a  full  support ;  I, 
in  addition  to  what  I  earned,  for  this  and  the  fol- 
lowing term  only,  sufficient  with  that  to  defray 
my  board  during  those  periods.  The  defi- 
ciency for  my  board  during  the  last  two  terms 
remains  as  before,  though  Mr.  A.  told  me  I 
need  not  be  concerned  about  it.  He  further 
said  that  they  should  grant  assistance  more 
cheerfully  when  they  could  have  any  good  rea- 
son to  believe  that  by  so  doing  they  should 
further  the  object  for  which  their  funds  were 
established,  viz.:  '  to  assist  young  men  intended 

96 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

for  the  ministry.'  1  can  have  no  predilection 
for  this  important  and  highly  responsible  office 
without  grace ;  and  I  did  not,  I  ought  not  to, 
and  I  will  not  dissemble." 

"Monday,  Oct.  i6,  1815. 
"This  morning  the  Principal  summoned  me 
into  the  Assistant's  room  apart,  and  told  me 
that  the  standing  committee  of  the  board  of 
trustees  convened  last  Saturday  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  school  and  board  appropriations 
to  charity  scholars  for  the  year  ensuing,  that 
my  case  was  considered  by  them,  and  that  they 
wished  to  know  particularly  my  object  in  seek- 
ing an  education,  or,  in  other  words,  what  pro- 
fession I  intended  to  pursue?  To  these  in- 
quiries I  gave  answers  similar  to  those  at  my 
examination  last  winter,  and  that  for  the  same 
reasons  then  given,  I  could  not  determine.  He 
then  asked  me  *  if  under  my  present  state  of 
feelings,  my  prevailing  taste  was  for  the  minis- 
try ? '  I  told  him  it  was  ;  but  that  uncertain 
with  what  views  and  feelings  I  might  leave 
college,  if  suffered   to   proceed  so  far,  I  would 

97 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

not  now  positively  engage  to  enter  the  ministry. 
Then,  after  interrogating  me  as  to  my  spiritual 
state  and  concerns  particularly,  he  kindly  told 
me  that  they  had  voted  me  full  support  for  the 
year. 

"Thus  I  have  succeeded  so  far  without  making 
pretensions  to  anything  more  than  what  is  real. 
Indeed,  dissimulation  and  hypocrisy  are  so  ab- 
horrent to  my  feelings,  that  rather  than  resort 
to  them  for  success,  I  would  forego  the  gratifi- 
cation of  obtaining  a  public  education," 

After  graduating  from  Phillips  Academy, 
Person  entered  Harvard  College,  where  his 
fine  abilities  won  universal  recognition  and 
called  forth  the  brightest  forecast  for  his  future. 
But  his  physical  strength  had  been  undermined 
by  a  long  course  of  overwork  and  privation, 
and  before  he  had  completed  his  college  course 
he  died. 

Dr.  Goodell's  story,  though  similar  to  that 
of  Person  in  its  beginning,  had  a  happier  out- 
come. His  struggles  for  an  education  were  but 
a  prelude  to  a  long  career  of  honor  and  use- 
fulness.    We  give  the  account  substantially  in 

98 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

his  own  words  as  it  is  found  in  the  memoir 
prepared  by  his  son-in-law,  the  Rev.  E.  D.  G. 
Prime :  '^ 

"  As  I  had  been  feeble  from  my  youth,  it 
was  not  thought  possible  that  I  could  earn  my 
living  by  manual  labor  ;  but  it  was  hoped  that 
I  might  be  able  to  support  myself  by  teaching 
small  children  their  A  B  Cs.  My  father  could 
not  furnish  me  with  any  means  and  my  pros- 
pects were  indeed  gloomy  until  I  heard  of 
Phillips  Academy,  where  promising  students 
sometimes  received  assistance  while  prosecuting 
their  studies.  Then  a  great  hope  sprang  up  in 
my  heart,  that  I  might  one  day  become  more 
than  a  teacher,  perhaps  even  a  minister  of  the 
gospel.  I  therefore  went  to  Andover,  walking 
and  riding  by  turns,  and  presented  myself  be- 
fore the  Principal.  I  learned  from  him  that 
there  was  a  charity  fund,  but  that  more  than 
twice  as  many  as  could  be  received  had  been 
long  waiting  to  enjoy  its  privileges.  Mr.  Adams 
advised  me  to  come  to  Andover  at  the  com- 


*<«  Forty  Years  in  the  Turkish  Empire." 

99 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

mencement  of  the  next  quarter ;  encouraging 
me  to  expect  my  tuition  would  be  provided 
for  ;  but  I  must  be  prepared  to  bear  the  whole 
expense  of  my  education  up  to  the  time  when 
there  should  be  a  vacancy  in  the  charity  fund. 
I  turned  my  steps  homeward,  footing  it  the 
whole  distance,  sixty  miles,  with  a  heavy  heart, 
reaching  my  father's  house  footsore  and  weary 
on  the  third  day  after  leaving  Andover. 

"  From  the  time  of  my  return  from  Andover 
all  our  thoughts  were  bent  on  the  great  ques- 
tion of  raising  funds  to  meet  the  necessary  ex- 
pense for  one  quarter.  On  the  one  hand  pov- 
erty so  stared  us  in  the  face  as  to  look  us  out 
of  countenance  wherever  we  turned  our  eyes  ; 
and  on  the  other  hand  the  desire  and  the  neces- 
sity of  my  trying  to  get  an  education  rose  up 
before  me  like  the  image  in  Nebuchadnezzar's 
dream,  with  all  its  mighty  proportions.  And 
so  we  thought  and  thought ;  but  the  more  we 
thought  the  more  we  knew  not  what  to  think. 
And  we  finally  began  to  think  less  and  pray 
more  ;  and  thus  we  continued  till  it  was  found  I 
must  return  to  Andover  in  order  to  be  found 


lOO 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

there  at  the  commencement  of  the  quarter.  So 
without  money  and  without  credit,  and  without 
any  plan,  and  with  no  thoughts  but  the  most 
confused,  and  with  no  prayers  except  ejacula- 
tions, yourfather  strapped  on  his  trunk, as  though 
he  intended  this  to  be  his  final  departure,  and 
turned  his  face  toward  the  '  Land  of  Promise' 
— small  promise,  indeed,  though  even  this  was 
little  better  than  '  hope  against  hope.'  In 
this  trunk  were  all  his  books  and  clothes,  in- 
deed, all  his  worldly  effects.  Its  lower  edge 
pressed  hard  against  the  small  of  his  back,  to 
his  great  annoyance  at  the  time,  and  to  the  per- 
manent injury  of  this  feeblest  part  of  his  very 
feeble  frame  in  subsequent  years.  In  many  of 
the  towns  through  which  he  passed  boys  would 
hoot  after  him  in  the  street,  and  with  an  air  of 
proud  superiority  ask  if  he  had  in  his  trunk  a 
monkey,  or  an  anaconda  to  exhibit.  But 
as  he  had  no  strength  or  courage  to  spare 
for  discussion,  his  replies  were  always  faint  and 
few  ;  and  in  order  not  to  take  any  extra  steps, 
he  seldom  passed  from  one  side  of  the  street  to 
the  other,  but  kept  straight  on,  in   the  middle 


lOI 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

of  the  road,  till  his  feet  at  length  stood  on  that 
sacred  hill,  whither  all  his  thoughts  and  ex- 
pectations had  been  for  a  long  time  turning 
with  anxiety,  but  with  fond  desire. 

"  Here  a  new  trial  awaited  me.  For  the  pro- 
tection of  the  students  the  Trustees  had  adopted 
a  rule  that  the  students  should  board  only  in 
such  families  as  they  had  licensed  for  this  pur- 
pose. Mr.  Adams  gave  me  the  names  of  some 
half  dozen  or  more,  and,  leaving  my  trunk  in 
his  entry,  I  went  forth  to  make  application  for 
board  and  lodging  ;  but  not  one  of  them  would 
receive  me,  the  security  I  had  to  offer  appearing 
to  them  very  much  like  that  which  the  Turks 
offer  when  they  simply  say,  '  Allah  Kareem,' 
/.  e.,  *  God  is  merciful.'  I  got  another  list  of 
names  and  then  another,  until  I  had  visited 
every  house  in  town  that  was  licensed,  and  no 
one  would  take  me  in.  I  returned  to  Mr. 
Adams's  house  and  could  not  refrain  from 
weeping.  At  length  I  determined  to  take 
matters  into  my  own  hands,  and  slipping  out 
unperceived  I  knocked  at  the  first  house  that 
I  saw  and  asked  if  a  poor  student  who  wished 


I02 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

to  enter  the  Academy  could  find  board  and 
lodging  with  them.  The  woman  of  the  house 
answered  in  the  affirmative,  and  her  husband 
confirmed  it  and  a  bargain  was  soon  struck. 

"  Having,  as  you  perceive,  secured  a  boarding 
place,  next  morning  I  stood  before  the  desk  of 
the  Principal,  and  had  my  seat  assigned  me,  in 
which  it  was  expected  I  should  always  be  found 
in  study  hours.  My  first  lesson  in  Latin 
Grammar,  which  I  was  to  commit  to  memory, 
Mr.  Adams  also  marked  out  for  me. 

"  After  some  hours  he  called  me  up  to  recite, 
when  it  was  found  not  only  that  I  had  learned 
all  that  was  printed  in  the  large  type  which 
students  were  expected  to  learn,  but  that  I  had 
committed  to  memory  all  that  was  in  italics, 
though  only  designed  to  be  read  over  and  not 
recited  ;  and,  moreover,  that  I  had  gone  over 
in  this  perfect  manner  more  pages  than  he  had 
marked  out  for  me.  Mr.  Adams  now  opened 
his  eyes  wide  and  looked  at  me  from  another 
standpoint,  to  see  of  what  stuff  I  was  really 
made.  And  I  began  to  open  my  eyes  wider, 
and  to  look  at  him  with  more  fearlessness  than 

103 


THE    STORY     OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

I  had  dared  to  feel  before  ;  for  he  smiled  and 
wept  by  turns,  and  it  was  plain  that  a  favor- 
able impression  had  been  made  upon  his  great 
mind  and  still  greater  heart.  And  I  now  felt 
sure  there  was  no  danger  of  my  being  sent 
away  from  that  unlicensed  house  unless  another 
and  a  better  one  were  provided  for  me." 

As  will  be  seen  from  the  extract  that  follows, 
Dr.  Goodell  never  forgot  the  Master  who 
had  shown  him  kindness  when  his  foot  was 
upon  the  first  difficult  round  of  life's  ladder. 

"  At  the  time  I  entered  Phillips  Academy," 
he  writes,  "  Mr.  Adams  was  in  the  full  vigor 
of  his  manhood  and  at  the  very  zenith  of  his 
long  and  honorable  career.  His  influence 
over  me  was  greater  than  that  of  any  other 
teacher.  I  came  under  his  influence  at  the  most 
plastic  and  critical  period  of  my  life  and  I  gave 
up  my  whole  being  to  be  moulded  by  him  as 
clay  by  the  hands  of  the  potter.  All  that  he 
did  and  said,  his  casual  remarks,  his  prayers, 
were  to  me  exceedingly  impressive.  Andover 
was  at  that  time  blessed  with  such  mighty  men, 
men   of   God,    as    Professor   Stuart,    Professor 

104 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

Woods  and  Professor  Porter,  and  I  often  heard 
them  preach,  but  neither  at  that  time  nor  in 
subsequent  years  did  their  words  fall  on  my  ear 
and  heart  with  such  weight  as  those  of  Mr. 
Adams,  during  all  the  time  I  was  his  pupil- 
Many  of  his  remarks  I  wrote  down,  parts  of 
his  prayers  I  remember  to  this  day.  Almost 
every  sentence  he  uttered  seemed  an  aphorism 
containing  a  world  of  meaning.  I  seemed  to 
myself  to  have  just  waked  up  to  a  new  life,  and 
to  be  living  in  a  new  world.  And  even  now, 
at  this  distance  of  time,  I  often  lift  up  my  heart 
in  thankfulness  to  God,  that  I  was  blessed,  at 
such  a  time,  with  such  a  teacher." 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S  HOME 


*'  Wherever  a  true  nvife  comes     .      .      .       home  is  airways 
around  her.'" — Ruskin. 


CHAPTER    V 

THE   SCHOOLMASTER'S    HOME 

1810-1829 


NOT  far  from  the  bare  brick  Academy, 
with  its  stern  associations,  stood  the 
Schoolmaster's  home.  This  was  a 
broad,  attractive  white  house  with  a  dormer 
roof.  Its  front  looked  toward  the  sunset ;  its 
windows  were  tapped  by  intruding  branches  of 
tall  shrubs  and  rose  bushes,  and  its  borders 
shone,  all  summer  long,  with  gaily  smiling 
flowers. 

The  village  children  thought  that  no  blos- 
soms were  half  so  fresh  and  bright  as  those 
which  opened  in  Mrs.  Adams's  garden.  They 
came  often  to  gaze  at  its  fragrant  treasures,  and 
seldom  indeed  did  they  go  empty-handed  away. 
The  mistress  of  the  garden  had  a  tender  heart 

109 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

toward  all  young  and  growing  things.  She 
dearly  loved  her  flowers,  and  they  rewarded  her 
with  an  unfailing  succession  of  bud  and  bloom; 
while  the  little  children  of  Andover  found  in 
her  a  common  mother  and  nestled  confidingly 
under  her  sheltering  care. 

She  had  now  ten  children  in  her  own  family, 
and  the  white  house  overflowed  with  young  life 
and  spirits.  A  companion  of  the  youngest 
writes  :  "  Mrs.  Adams's  children  made  a  flight 
of  steps  which  seemed  to  reach  the  stars  !  "  In 
a  vain  attempt  to  count  them  the  neighbors 
would  say :  "  Well,  there's  Mary,  and  John, 
and  Ripley,  and  a  whole  huddle  of  little  ones  !  " 

Mary,  the  eldest,  was  born  at  Canterbury,  in 
the  old  homestead  ;  then  followed  John,  whose 
birthplace  was  Plainfield ;  Ripley,  Elizabeth 
and  William,  who  could  remember  the  church 
spire  at  Colchester ;  Harriet,  who  was  an  in- 
fant at  the  time  of  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
Andover,  and  Abby,  Emily,  Henry  and  Phcebe, 
who  knew  no  home  but  that  on  Andover  Hill. 

Yet  even  this  goodly  company  did  not  ex- 
haust the  resources  of  the  schoolmaster's  capa- 

IIO 


>v> 


1:5 


5^ 


■a 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

cious  dwelling.  There  were  other  children  in 
his  household — young  pupils  from  Phillips 
Academy,  of  whom  as  many  as  six  at  a  time 
boarded  with  the  Principal.  Just  how  they 
were  all  accommodated  within  the  given  space 
remained  a  mystery,  known  only  to  wise  Mrs. 
Adams  and  to  her  faithful  nurse  and  fellow- 
worker,  Betsey  Cleveland,  who  nightly  tucked 
the  little  folks  into  their  beds  and  saw  that  they 
were  washed,  clothed  and  fed  at  appropriate 
intervals.  Boarders  must  have  added  much  to 
the  care  of  an  overburdened  housewife,  but 
they  represented  a  welcome  addition  to  the 
scanty  professional  salary,  which  was  stretched 
to  the  utmost  to  meet  the  needs  of  so  many. 

Early  in  John  Adams's  Andover  life  motives 
of  economy  led  him  to  buy  a  piece  of  land  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Hill,  on  which  was  a 
famous  trysting-place  of  Andover  called  Sunset 
Rock.  The  village  people  heard  with  much  sur- 
prise that  "  Schoolmaster  Adams  "  had  "  taken 
the  notion  to  go  farming."  But,  in  truth, 
it  was  a  natural  step  for  one  whose  early  love 
had  been  given  to  fields  and  trees,  and  who  al- 

III 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

ways  remained  at  heart  a  country  lad.  The 
land  not  only  yielded  him  a  fair  income,  but, 
what  was  perhaps  more  important,  it  supplied 
him  with  out-of-door  interests  which,  until  the 
close  of  his  life  in  Andover,  continued  to  be  his 
chief  relaxation  and  pleasure.  The  farm  is 
often  mentioned  in  family  letters.  Mr.  Adams 
drove  thither  almost  daily  in  his  old-fashioned 
"  shay,"  his  white  horse  trotting  before  and  his 
brown-and-white  dog,  Fido,  following  closely 
behind.  Many  years  after,  the  village  children 
remembered  how  entirely  the  single  seat  of  the 
chaise  used  to  be  filled  by  the  schoolmaster's 
portly  figure.  Upon  the  farm  were  two  houses 
which  Mr.  Adams  kept  open  and  in  good  re- 
pair. In  one  of  these  lived  the  farmer,  a  very 
respectable  man.  The  other  he  usually  gave 
rent  free  to  some  deserving  person.  At  one 
time  it  was  occupied  by  the  elocution  master  of 
the  Academy,  a  functionary  not  overpaid  in 
that  day  and  generation. 

The  Adams  children  had  merry  times  to- 
gether in  the  years  when  cares  and  weariness 
were  yet  unknown.     "  I  could  go  now,"  writes 

112 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

Dr.  William  Adams,  "  to  the  pastures  where 
we  picked  our  berries,  to  the  streams  where  we 
learned  to  swim,  to  the  orchards  with  their 
abundant  fruitage,  to  the  hillsides  where  we 
gathered  nuts  ;  and  should  count  it  strange  if 
I  could  not  find  in  the  dark  on  the  common  in 
front  of  my  father's  house,  the  stones  which 
marked  our  boundaries  in  the  game  of  base 
ball.  Always  shall  I  be  grateful  for  these  early 
associations  with  country  life,  with  animals  with 
their  honest  faces,  with  the  sweet  smells  of  the 
clover  field,  and  the  delight  of  blueberrying  in 
the  pasture,  of  innocent  robberies  in  the  apple 
orchard,  and  of  frolics  in  the  warm  and  cozy 
barn." 

The  boys  as  they  grew  older  were  expected 
to  take  their  full  share  in  the  work  of  the 
farm.  No  doubt  they  often  inwardly  rebelled 
against  the  homely  tasks  laid  upon  them. 
Not  every  New  England  lad  could  agree  with 
Dr.  Noah  Porter,  who  with  gentle  humor 
records  his  gratitude  for  "  rich  opportunities  for 
fruitful  thought "  enjoyed  while  patiently  fol- 
lowing  home  his  father's  cow  !      But  be  this  as 

113 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

it  may,  John  Adams's  sons  early  received  a 
valuable  discipline  in  habits  of  self-denial  and 
industry,  and  were  able  to  render  efficient  aid 
to  their  hard-working  father. 

Within-doors,  the  daughters  were  trained  in 
all  housewifely  arts  by  their  excellent  mother. 
No  teacher  could  have  been  more  beloved. 
The  atmosphere  about  her  seemed  always  full 
of  sunshine.  "  I  could  write  volumes,"  ex- 
claims her  daughter  Emily,  "  and  never  tire  of 
telling  about  her  love  and  goodness.  She  shone 
with  a  genial  gladness  no  one  else  ever  mani- 
fested. I  can  see  her  now,  as  she  used  to  stand 
waiting  to  receive  us  as  we  came  from  school, 
her  fair  face  all  aglow  and  her  beautiful  hands 
extended.  She  would  draw  us  in,  and  give  us 
a  piece  of  cake  or  a  doughnut,  dainties  dear  to 
the  childish  soul." 

The  wheels  of  the  Adams  household  seem 
to  have  moved  smoothly,  being  well  oiled  with 
charity  and  loving-kindness,  but  for  its  elder 
members  at  least  there  cannot  have  been  many 
leisure  moments  in  the  day.  We  often  read  of 
twenty-one   in  the  family,  and   there   was   but 

114 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

^ — 

one  servant,  faithful  Betsey  Cleveland.  Mrs. 
Adams  was  a  famous  housekeeper  and  her 
table  was  always  bountifully  supplied.  The 
schoolmaster  himself  did  not  disdain  the  crea* 
ture  comforts.  We  hear  of  his  giving  excellent 
advice  to  a  neighbor  as  to  how  she  could  press 
and  prepare  her  corned  beef  in  the  most  appe- 
tizing fashion. 

Mrs.  Adams  was  naturally  gifted  as  a  nurse, 
and  more  often  than  the  other  village  matrons 
was  called  upon  to  give  neighborly  assistance 
in  cases  of  sickness  and  sorrow.  She  usually 
had  some  poor  sufferer  under  her  own  roof 
whom  she  was  nursing  back  into  health  for  no 
other  than  the  traditional  reward  of  virtue. 
The  needs  of  her  own  numerous  family  also 
brought  the  doctor  often  to  her  door.  "  He 
used  to  come,"  writes  Emily,  "riding  on  a 
speckled  horse,  with  huge  saddle-bags  dangling 
at  his  sides.  He  would  enter  snapping  his 
spectacles  in  a  way  amusing  to  us,  sit  down  de- 
liberately, examine  the  patient,  and  would  then 
say,  'You  need  something  soothing,  I  think.  I 
will   leave   you   a   little   Elixir  Pro' ;  and  pray, 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

Mrs.  Adams,  get  some  su-lphur  mixed  with 
molasses  and  give  each  one  of  your  children  a 
teaspoonful  every  morning.'  This  well-worn 
and  expected  joke  never  failed  to  delight  his 
little  audience." 

On  the  subject  ot  religion,  the  children 
heard  but  little  from  their  mother,  her  example 
speaking  louder  than  her  words.  "  She  was 
always  thoughtful  for  the  poor."  When  a 
piece  of  cloth  came  home  to  be  cut  up  into 
garments  she  would  say  :  "  Cut  off  six  yards 
for  Mrs.  Berry  and  four  yards  for  Mrs.  Haw- 
ley.  Remember,  my  daughters,  *  the  poor  ye 
have  with  you  always.'  "  She  was  a  regular 
attendant  at  many  missionary  and  benevo- 
lent society  meetings,  and  in  church  her  fervent 
interest  in  spiritual  things  was  so  plainly  writ- 
ten on  her  face,  that  Moses  Stuart  was  once 
heard  to  say,  "  No  preacher  could  be  dull  with 
such  an  auditor." 

By  the  side  of  the  mother,  her  right  hand 
and  constant  dependence,  stood  one  of  those 
subordinate  figures  who, little  known  beyond  the 
bounds  of  home,  yet  fill  so  important  a  place 

ii6 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

upon  the  horizon  of  childhood.  Betsey  Cleve- 
land, nurse,  cook,  and  maid-of-all-work  entered 
the  family  a  few  days  after  her  master  and  mis- 
tress were  married,  and  her  affection  toward 
them  and  their  children  was  deep  and  unchang- 
ing. One  of  her  charges,  Dr.  William  Adams, 
writes  :  "  It  would  delight  the  children  of  to- 
day if  I  were  to  recite  her  exploits  in  cookery, 
and  describe  her  readiness  to  supply  us  with  all 
that  the  appetite  craved ;  but  it  is  chiefly  be- 
cause of  her  liberality  that  she  will  be  held  in 
remembrance."  Not  in  vain  did  Betsey  live 
within  the  sacred  bounds  of  "  Zion's  Hill." 
Her  true  heart  was  fit  soil  for  the  seed  which 
was  there  so  abundantly  sown.  In  proportion 
to  her  income  no  resident  of  Andover  gave 
more  to  the  cause  of  missions.  Out  of  her 
wages  of  one  dollar  a  week  she  for  some  years 
supported  two  boys  in  a  mission  school  in 
Ceylon.  One  of  them  was  called  at  her  re- 
quest John  Adams ;  the  other  received  the 
name  of  her  pastor,  Dr.  Justin  Edwards.  Her 
devotion  to  her  pastor  was  shown  by  presents, 
some  of  which   would   have  seemed  large  had 

117 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

they  come  from  a  person  of  ample  means. 
Her  master  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
American  Tract  Society,  and  she  took  a  deep 
interest  in  its  work.  For  a  long  time  it  was 
her  custom  to  distribute  tracts  on  Sunday  to 
the  teamsters  who  chanced  to  cross  Andover 
Hill.  At  an  expense  of  twenty  dollars  she 
once  published  an  entire  edition  of  a  tract, 
highly  valued  in  its  day,  called  "  The  Swearer's 
Prayer."  It  is  pleasant  to  learn  that  in  old  age 
Betsey's  good  deeds  received  their  just  recom- 
pense of  reward.  She  remained  in  the  service 
of  the  Adams  family  until  after  they  had  left 
Andover.  When  they  finally  removed  to  the 
West  suitable  provision  for  her  needs  was 
made  by  the  master  and  children  whom  she 
had  served  so  faithfully  and  so  long. 

But  Betsey  was  no  disciplinarian  ;  and  it  was 
well  for  her  young  charges  that  the  reins  of 
family  government  were  held  by  firmer  hands 
than  hers.  The  supreme  authority  in  the 
household  was  the  Schoolmaster,  a  reference  to 
whom  was  always  sufficient  to  bring  any  little 
rebel  to  terms. 

n8 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 


Once  William,  aged  six,  but  already  a  pupil 
at  Phillips  Academy,  was  placed  on  a  bench  in 
the  schoolroom  by  his  father  after  reciting  his 
lessons  and  was  provided  with  "  Mason  on 
Self  Knowledge  "  as  a  means  of  amusement. 
Shortly  after  this  he  was  discovered  beneath  the 
bench  holding  a  lively  conversation  in  whispers 
with  his  next  door  neighbor.  "  Hold  out  your 
hand,  my  son.  Remember  another  time  that 
honesty  is  the  best  policy  !  "  The  words  were 
emphasized  in  a  way  which  drove  them  into 
his  memory  forever.  "  They  were,"  he  said, 
"  literally  beaten  into  me."  John  Adams  once 
heard  one  of  his  children  say  to  a  sleepy  little 
student,  "  Did  you  learn  your  lesson  before  you 
went  to  bed?"  "No."  "Well,  then,  get 
right  up.  You  must,  for  Father  said  so." 
There  was  no  resisting  the  conviction  in  the 
childish  voice  ;  the  boy  sprang  up  at  once  and 
committed  his  task  to  memory.  But  though 
stern,  John  Adams  was  neither  hasty  nor  un- 
just, and  this  his  children  knew  well.  One  of 
his  younger  daughters,  Emily,  was  blessed  with 
a  more  lively  disposition  than  was  considered 


119 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

proper  on  Andover  Hill.  She  had  a  fashion  of 
thinking  for  herself,  and  on  one  occasion  told 
her  Sunday  School  teacher  that  she  had  decided 
that  Aaron  must  have  been  a  wicked  man. 
This  so  horrified  the  good  lady  that  she  talked 
of  expelling  Emily  from  her  class.  At  Sewing 
Societies  where  sermons  were  given  her  to  read 
aloud,  she  would  jump  irreverently  from 
secondly  to  fourthly  and  from  thence  to 
sixthly  ;  thereby  causing  grave  doubts  to  arise 
in  the  minds  of  the  worthy  Andover  matrons 
as  to  her  prospects  both  in  this  world  and  in  that 
which  is  to  come.  Once  to  gratify  her  love  of 
excitement  she  induced  her  younger  brother 
and  sisters,  by  dint  of  sundry  nods  and  mean- 
ing silences,  to  believe  that  she  had  been  to  the 
theatre  while  on  a  visit  to  Boston.  This  dread- 
ful discovery  was  at  once  communicated  to  her 
father  and  Emily  was  summoned  to  his  study. 
The  youngsters  gathered  about  the  door  in 
awe-stricken  silence.  Within  the  father  was 
saying  in  low,  grieved  tones,  "  My  daughter, 
you  have  been  disobedient."  "  What  have  I 
done  ?  "     "  You  attended  the  theatre  in   Bos- 


I20 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

ton."  "  No,  Father  ;  I  did  not."  "  I  believe 
you,  my  child;  may  you  always  be  equally 
obedient."  With  a  laugh  she  bounded  out, 
greatly  to  the  discomfiture  of  the  other  chil- 
dren. 

The  Sabbath  was  of  course  most  strictly 
observed  on  Andover  hill ;  although  we  have 
some  reason  to  believe  that  John  Adams  was 
In  this  respect  more  lenient  than  his  neigh- 
bors. We  are  told  that  the  startling  rumor  was 
once  spread  abroad  that  the  Schoolmaster  had 
allowed  one  of  his  boys  to  pick  up  some  apples 
in  the  orchard  on  Sunday  !  In  the  mornings 
his  children  attended  their  father's  Bible  class 
at  the  Academy.  More  than  one  old  pupil 
writes  that  this  was  an  unusually  interesting 
and  fruitful  exercise.  In  the  afternoon  they 
gathered  in  their  mother's  room  to  learn  the 
Catechism.  The  fragrance  of  a  white  rose  bush 
which  stood  by  her  window  floated  Into  the 
room  and  sweetened  their  remembrance  of  this 
least  loved  of  studies.  "One  of  the  most  poetic 
images  imprinted  on  my  mind,"  wrote  Dr. 
William  Adams  long  after,  "  Is  that  of  a  Sab- 

121 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

bath  afternoon  in  June,  the  air  full  of  the  smell 
of  the  roses  and,  so  still  that  one  could  hear  the 
fly  buzzing  upon  the  window  pane." 

We  are  all  familiar  with  descriptions  of  the 
New  England  Sabbath,  but  because  of  the 
personal  interest  attaching  to  it  we  will  make 
room  for  Emily  Adams's  account  of  the  day  as 
it  was  observed  in  her  childhood.  It  began  of 
course  on  the  Saturday  preceding,  when  the 
minister  visited  the  schools  and  questioned  the 
children  on  the  Catechism.  "  I  can  well  re- 
member how  we  trembled,  as  in  a  solemn  tone 
he  said,  *  Joseph,  what  is  the  chief  end  of  man  ? 
Horace,  what  are  the  decrees  of  God  ? '  and 
so  on  through  adoption,  justification,  and  effec- 
tual calling.  All  were  expected  to  answer  every 
question,  and  the  child  who  could  not  repeat 
the  Ten  Commandments  was  not  considered 
respectable.  On  Saturday  afternoon  the  chil- 
dren met  in  their  mother's  room  to  study  the 
Sunday  School  lesson.  On  Saturday  night  holy 
time  commenced ;  work  ceased ;  stores  were 
closed  ;  women  laid  aside  their  knitting ;  boots 
and   shoes   were   blacked ;   and   the    Bible   was 


122 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

opened  and  studied.  A  prayer  meeting  was 
usually  held  with  special  reference  to  the  wor- 
ship of  God  to  be  held  on  the  morrow.  When 
the  Sabbath  morning  dawned  all  was  quiet  in 
the  house.  The  family  rose  early,  for  it  was 
considered  sinful  to  sleep  away  holy  time.  The 
sun  seemed  to  arise  with  more  majesty  than  on 
a  week  day,  the  heavens  to  wear  a  deeper  blue, 
all  nature  seemed  to  be  hushed.  After  family 
devotions,  somewhat  prolonged,  preparations 
were  made  for  Sunday  School,  which  in  many 
localities  was  held  before  the  morning  service. 
There  were  no  leaflets  or  quarterlies  ;  but  chap- 
ter after  chapter  was  recited,  the  Four  Gospels 
and  many  of  the  Psalms  were  committed  to 
memory,  together  with  hymns  written  by  Dr. 
Watts.  Public  worship  commenced  promptly  ; 
the  services  were  protracted,  the  prayer  before 
the  sermon  then  deserving  its  name  of  the 
*  long  prayer.'  The  minister  was  expected  to 
pray  for  all  classes,  tribes,  and  peoples ;  for 
God's  chosen  people,  the  Jews  ;  for  China  with 
her  gates  closed  to  the  Gospel,  the  Hottentots 
in  their  heathen  darkness,  and  for  the   Isles  of 

I2J 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

the  Sea.  During  all  this,  the  congregation 
stood,  none  but  the  aged  or  infirm  being 
allowed  the  luxury  of  a  seat.  There  were  no 
fires  in  the  churches,  the  ministers  believing 
that  stoves  were  unhealthy,  also  that  the  heat 
would  make  the  congregation  sleepy.  Foot 
stoves  were  used  in  severe  weather,  and  were 
passed  from  one  pew  to  another  during  service. 
The  sermons  were  long  and  doctrinal,  on  such 
themes  as  original  sin,  free  agency,  God's  sov- 
ereignty, election,  predestination  or  total  de- 
pravity. When  the  people  were  dismissed  all 
walked  out  quietly.  The  only  remark  per- 
mitted, was  :  *  What  a  profound  discourse  ! ' 
In  some  places  Sunday  School  was  held  at  noon, 
when  the  Shorter  Catechism  was  recited,  also 
another  catechism  for  younger  children,  by 
John  Cotton,  called  '  Spiritual  Milk  for  Amer- 
ican Babes  for  their  Souls'  Nourishment.'  At 
two  o'clock  the  bell  tolled  and  all  again  gath- 
ered in  the  House  of  God.  There  was  usually 
a  tithing  man  in  the  congregation  whose  duty 
it  was  to  preserve  order.  If  he  saw  a  boy 
whisper,  he  would  rise,  thereby  disturbing  the 

124 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

whole  congregation,  proceed  to  the  offender 
and  silence  him  by  a  resolute  shake.  At  five 
o'clock  many  families  assembled  in  their  own 
parlors  to  listen  to  the  reading  of  another  ser- 
mon. As  holy  time  expired  there  were  some 
whose  eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  clock  ;  others 
devoted  their  attention  to  the  sun  as  it  sank  to 
rest.  The  tallest  boy  among  us  (usually  Dr. 
William  Adams)  was  stationed  on  the  gate  post 
to  announce  its  departure  with  a  crow,  which 
was  re-echoed  by  all  the  children  within  hearing 
distance.  When  the  first  star  appeared  we  could 
take  our  story  books.  After  tea  the  work 
basket  was  brought  out  and  Mother  resumed 
her  knitting." 

As  his  children  grew  older  John  Adams 
gladly  recognized  their  independence.  He 
wished  them  to  think  and  decide  for  them- 
selves, and  to  look  to  him  only  as  to  a  chosen 
friend  and  counsellor.  This  somewhat  rare 
wisdom  was  rewarded  by  the  full  love  and  con- 
fidence of  his  grown  sons  and  daughters.  Mas- 
ter Adams  would  have  had  all  his  sons  enter 
the  ministry,  and  all  his  daughters  marry  min- 

"5 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

isters.  His  wish  was  very  nearly  gratified,  six 
out  of  his  nine  surviving  children  choosing  that 
lot  in  life  which  seemed  to  him  the  most  de- 
sirable. 

Of  the  bevy  of  pretty  girls  who  made  the 
Principal's  front  pew  in  Bartlet  Chapel  a  centre 
of  interest  to  the  ranks  of  black-coated  students 
in  the  rear,  Mary  became  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
Daniel  Hemenway,  of  Suffield,  Connecticut ; 
Harriet  married  the  Rev.  John  Edgell,  of 
Andover  ;  Abby,  the  Rev.  Albert  Egerton,  of 
Methuen,  Massachusetts,  and  Elizabeth,  the 
Rev.  George  Cowles,  of  Danvers,  Connecticut. 
Only  the  two  younger  daughters  departed 
from  the  family  tradition.  Emily  married  Mr. 
Joseph  H.  Bancroft,  a  merchant,  of  Jackson- 
ville, Illinois,  and  Phoebe  became  the  wife 
of  Mr.  Wm.  A.  Campbell,  a  banker  of  Jack- 
sonville ;  but  both  of  these  marriages  took 
place  long  after  the  family  had  left  Andover 
Hill. 

John  Adams's  eldest  surviving  son,  John 
Ripley,  was  a  strong  and  noble  character.  He 
early  showed  unusual  powers  of  endurance,  and 

126 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

would  never  accept  pity  for  any  bodily  injury. 
Once,  when  quite  a  small  boy,  he  was  in  the 
barn  with  his  father,  when  a  horse  stepped  upon 
his  foot,  crushing  it  and  causing  severe  pain. 
"  Be  brave,  my  son  !  "  cried  John  Adams.  "  1 
can  bear  it,  and  I  will  ! "  came  the  answer,  and 
not  a  murmur  escaped  the  little  fellow's  lips. 
He  was  full  of  fun  and  fond  of  practical  jokes, 
in  which  his  striking  resemblance  to  his  father 
stood  him  in  good  stead.  When  the  Academy 
boys  were  too  noisy  in  their  play  at  night  upon 
the  common,  he  would  don  the  Principal's  long 
cloak,  slip  down  to  the  garden  gate,  and  ap- 
proach them  with  slow  and  stealthy  steps.  He 
always  came  back  laughing  heartily  at  the 
stampede  which  resulted. 

After  passing  with  credit  through  Phillips 
Academy  and  Andover  Theological  Seminary, 
he  held  various  pastorates  in  different  parts  of 
New  England.  The  longest  of  these  was  at 
Gorham,  Maine,  where  he  remained  for  twelve 
years,  greatly  beloved.  At  New  Brighton  he  suc- 
ceeded his  younger  brother,  William,  who  had 
been  called  to  New  York.    When  the  Civil  War 

lay 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

broke  out,  he  enlisted  and  served  as  Chaplain, 
first  of  the  Fifth  Maine  regiment  and  after- 
wards of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-first 
New  York  Volunteers.  The  story  of  his  work 
as  an  army  chaplain  is  one  of  whole-souled  pa- 
triotic service.  He  carried  into  the  field  the 
same  qualities  which  had  made  his  early  life 
fruitful  of  good.  He  was  always  at  his  post. 
No  fatigue  could  overcome  and  no  danger  could 
daunt  him.  He  served  through  the  whole 
course  of  the  war  and  returned  at  its  close  rich 
indeed  in  the  love  and  respect  of  the  soldiers 
to  whom  he  had  ministered,  but  broken  in 
health  so  that  he  was  never  again  able  to  as- 
sume an  important  charge.  For  about  a  year 
he  labored  humbly  and  contentedly  as  a  home 
missionary  in  the  State  of  Maine  and  died  in 
April,  1866,  from  acute  brain  fever  resulting 
from  the  excitement  and  exposure  of  his  army 
life.  His  letters  and  a  short  account  of  his  life 
have  been  published  by  his  sister,  Mrs.  Emily 
Adams  Bancroft.* 


*  Memorial   and   Letters  of  Rev.    John    R.    Adams,   D.D. 
Privately  printed  1890. 

128 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

The  third  son,  Ripley  Perkins,  adopted  his 
father's  profession,  and  after  graduating  from 
PhiUips  Academy  and  Yale  College  spent  his 
life  as  a  teacher  in  the  schools  and  seminaries  of 
the  South.  Henry,  the  youngest,  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

The  most  widely  known  of  John  Adams's 
children  was  William,  who  became  pastor  of 
the  Madison  Square  Church  in  New  York, 
and  later  President  of  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary  of  that  city.  From  his  earliest  child- 
hood he  attracted  attention  by  his  beauty  and 
Hght-heartedness  ;  and  this,  in  the  minds  of  his 
earnest  parents,  was  a  cause  for  grave  anxiety. 
They  brought  up  their  son  with  special  care, 
surrounding  him  with  every  good  influence. 
His  conversion,  a  very  definite  experience,  took 
place  when  he  was  about  thirteen  years  of  age 
and  while  he  was  a  pupil  in  Phillips  Academy. 
Several  of  his  schoolmates  have  spoken  of  the 
unusual  power  of  his  first  prayers  and  religious 
addresses.  "His  father.  Principal  Adams," 
writes  one,  "would  listen  with  tears  rolling 
down  his  cheeks." 

129 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

After  graduating  from  Phillips,  William  was 
obliged  to  earn  money  to  carry  him  through  col- 
lege. For  this  purpose  he  began  to  teach  a  pri- 
vate school  in  Norwich,  Connecticut.  His  first 
independent  venture  was  a  great  success.  The 
handsome  young  schoolmaster  became  a  uni- 
versal favorite.  He  had  many  pupils  older 
than  himself,  and  one  of  his  chief  anxieties  was 
to  conceal  his  youth  from  his  wide  circle  of  ac- 
quaintances. After  teaching  came  college.  At 
New  Haven  as  in  Norwich  he  was  a  centre  of 
love  and  admiration.  He  entered  with  enthu- 
siasm into  the  college  life.  Indeed,  his  high 
spirits  once  led  him  into  a  student  frolic  in  con- 
sequence of  which  his  friends  advised  him  for  a 
time  to  leave  New  Haven  ;  but  no  sooner  had 
he  reached  Andover  than  he  was  promptly 
sent  back  by  his  father,  who,  however  fond  of 
fun  in  his  own  college  days,  was  then  firmly  on 
the  side  of  constituted  authority. 

Later  in  his  college  course  William  was  led 
to  give  himself  to  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
From  New  Haven  he  returned  to  Andover, 
where  he  spent  three  happy  years  in  his  home, 

130 


John  Ripley  Adams,  D.D. 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

attending  lectures  at  the  Andover  Theological 
Seminary.  In  addition  to  his  own  work  he 
found  time  to  help  his  father  by  conducting  a 
class  in  Milton's  "  Paradise  Lost "  for  some  of 
the  boys  of  the  Academy.  Many  hours  were 
passed  in  his  mother's  room,  where  he  often 
read  aloud  to  her.  He  remembers  seeing  her 
laugh  till  the  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks  over 
the  adventures  of  Moses  in  the  "  Vicar  of 
Wakefield." 

It  was  a  great  day  when  the  young  theologue 
preached  his  first  sermon  in  the  Seminary 
chapel.  The  night  before  the  ordeal  was 
passed  without  sleep.  When  the  time  came, 
however,  he  was  equal  to  the  occasion.  The 
sermon  was  a  great  success,  and  fully  satisfied  the 
expectation  of  an  interested  audience  of  friends 
and  relatives.  His  father,  the  schoolmaster, 
walked  home  with  a  happy  heart,  his  ears  still 
ringing  with  the  congratulations  of  his  friends, 
the  Seminary  Professors. 

But  the  day  was  not  without  its  cloud.  It 
was  a  deep  sorrow  both  to  father  and  son  that 
she  to  whom   the  triumph  would   have  meant 

131 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 

most  was  not  there  to  share  it.  A  few  months 
before  her  son's  graduation  from  the  Seminary- 
Mrs.  Adams  had  passed  away.  Her  health 
had  been  faiUng  for  some  time  past,  and  she 
had  suffered  greatly.  But  to  the  end  her 
cheerfulness  remained  unclouded,  and  her  pa- 
tience was  unfailing.  Her  Christian  faith  was 
strong  and  simple.  When  her  husband  said  to 
her,  "  Your  struggle,  dear,  will  soon  be  over," 
she  answered  quietly,  "  I  am  ready."  She  died 
on  February  23,  1829,  and  all  day  long  her 
house  was  visited  by  poor  women  who  came  to 
show  the  garments  which  Mrs.  Adams  had 
made  for  them. 

She  was  buried  in  Andover  churchyard, 
amid  storm  and  snow.  So  severe  was  the 
weather  that  no  women  attended  the  funeral. 
"  I  remember  as  if  it  were  yesterday,"  writes 
Emily,  "  the  long  line  of  Seminary  and  Acad- 
emy students  wending  their  way  to  the  Ceme- 
tery, bearing  her  loved  form  upon  their  should- 
ers. Early  the  next  morning  William  rose  and 
visited  the  spot,  coming  home  too  grieved  to 
eat."     John  had  been  summoned  from  Water- 

132 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

ville,  where  he  was  preaching,  but  did  not  ar- 
rive in  time  for  the  funeral.  After  a  journey- 
taken  chiefly  on  the  sledges  of  the  mail  car- 
riers, he  reached  Andover  to  find  his  mother 
not  only  dead  but  buried.  His  grief  was  un- 
controllable. In  spite  of  the  entreaties  of  his 
friends  and  the  advice  of  his  father,  he  caused 
the  grave  to  be  opened  and  looked  once  more 
upon  her  beloved  face. 

The  tombstone  over  Mrs.  Adams's  grave 
was  erected  by  the  students  of  Phillips  Acad- 
emy, to  many  of  whom  she  had  been  a  second 
mother.  The  love  which  all  her  husband's 
pupils  felt  for  her  finds  fullest  expression  in 
a  poem  written  by  one  who  had  been  a  member 
of  the  school  at  Plainfield.  It  was  read  by  the 
author  before  the  Porter  Rhetorical  Society,  in 
a  voice  broken  with  sobs. 

The  old-fashioned  verses  ran  as  follows  : 

How  sacred  is  the  friendship  of  the  grave  ^ 

The  social  slumber  of  the  pious  dead  ! 
Seems  that  they  whisper  (as  the  night  winds  wave 

The  herbage  blooming  o^er  their  peaceful  bed)y 
"  Resty  brother  f — Sister ^  rest  f  our  foes  have  fed^ 

»33 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

Our  pains  J  our  cares,  our  perils  now  are  o^er ; 
These  eyes,  that  now  their  latest  tears  have  shed. 
Shall  soon  with  joy  those  brighter  realms  explore. 
To  which  our  Lord,  our  Love,  our  Life,  has  gone  be- 
forer 

Such  rest,  revered  Elizabeth,  is  thine, 

^ Mid  those  who  felt  in  life  thy  kindness  rare  ; 

Mother  in  Israel  !      Taught  by  grace  divine. 
Thine  own  and  others'"  woes  alike  to  bear  ; 

The  sick  man's  couch  and  cordial  to  prepare. 
And  the  long,  wakeful,  weary  night  beguile. 

With  nameless  proofs  of  fond,  maternal  care  ; 
Ensuing  for  thy  recompense,  the  while. 
His  look  of  filial  love,  his  grateful  parting  smile  ! 

Be  ours  that  faith  that  purified  thy  heart. 

Thy  works  of  love,  thy  vie' try  o'er  the  world  ! 

And  when  the  mound  that  hides  thy  mortal  part. 
So  oft  with  drops  of  pious  grief  impearl'd. 

Resigns  its  charge  ;  when  yon  blue  curtain's  fur  I'd 
Heav'n's  bright  and  burning  glories  to  display. 

And  earth  and  sea  to  pristine  chaos  hurl' d, 
O  may  we  join  thee  on   thine  upward  way 
To  bow'rs  of  perfect  bliss — to  realms  of  endless  day  / 

I  speak  what  many  feel  i — but  chief y  thou. 

Guide  of  my  youth,  and  friend  of  riper  years — 

Erst  hail'd  with  filial  gratitude — but  now 
My  brother,  in  the  fellowship  of  tears  ! 

134 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

For  lo  !      Already  on  my  brow  appears 

Tiy  untimely  snow  by  early  sorrow  strewn  ; 

And  I  have  learned  how  sympathy  endears 

The  friend  that  all  our  voiceless  griefs  have  known^ 
And  bids  the  mourner  feel  he  suffers  not  alone. 

Then  dry  that  falling  tear  ; — 

And  calm^  O  calm  that  heaving  breast : 

Call  not  an  angel  from  her  chosen  sphere — 

A  weary  pilgrim  from  her  lov^d  and  long  sought  rest  f 

Nay^  she,  uncall'd^  will  come  ; — 

Unseen^  unheard^  untir'd^  attend 
Thy  fainting  spirit  to  that  happy  home^ 

Where  all  thy  griefs^  like   hers^  shall  shortly^  sweetly^ 
end. 

When  droops  thy  aching  head — 

When  bleeds  afresh  thy  broken  heart — 
Her  spirit  to  thy  lonely.^  sleepless  bed 

Shall  haste  with  seraph  speedy  and  heavenly  peace  im- 
part. 

Oft^  from  the  tree  of  Life., 

Her  hand  a  balmy  leaf  shall  bring  ; — 
And  brace  thy  soul  for  Faith^s  eventful  strife., 

With  many  a  nectar  d  draught  from  Siloa's  deathless 
spring. 

When  at  the  morning  s  blush 

Or  evening's  still  and  sacred  hour., 

'35 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

Thou  goest^  thy  sorrows  and  thy  fears  to  hush^ 

Where  oft   with    thee  she  proved  devotion's  soothing 
power — 

And  when  that  vacant  chair 

Reminds  thee  of  the  graceful  form 
IVhich  erst  has  bent  in  supplication  there — 

Her    lov^d    remembrance    still  thy  lonely  breast  shall 
warm. 

That  form  again  shall  rise^ 

That  breast^  the  seat  of  love  and  truth ^ 
Shall  throb  with  endless  life  : — those  darkened  eyes 

Shall  beam  with  cloudless  joy^  and  never-fading  youth! 

Hark  !  from  her  home  on  high 

She  whispers^  "  Give  thy  sorrows  o^er; — 

Is  it  not  Christ  to  live^  and  gain  to  die  ? 

Then   onward — upward  thou^  and  we  shall  part    no 
more  !  " 

But  though  old  and  young  were  united  in  a 
sense  of  loss,  it  was  the  children  of  Ando- 
ver  who  felt  most  keenly  the  absence  of  their 
friend.  No  more  beautiful  tribute  has  been 
paid  to  Mrs.  Adams  than  by  a  daughter  of 
Moses  Stuart/""'  herself  one  of  the  merry  com- 


*  Mrs.  Robbins.  The  quotation  which  follows,  with  others 
in  the  later  chapters,  is  taken  by  permission  from  an  unpub- 
lished manuscript,  "  Old  Andovcr  Days." 

136 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

pany  who  used  to  gather  in  the  schoolmaster's 
home.  "  Mrs.  Adams  comes  back  to  me," 
she  writes,  "as  the  type  of  a  perfect  and 
rounded  motherhood.  I  remember  her  as  a 
large  woman  with  a  full,  frank  face  and  light 
hair,  through  which  ran  soft  threads  of  gray. 
A  child  friend  on  one  knee  and  I  on  the 
other,  her  broad  lap  seemed  to  us  the  most 
cheerful  resting-place  in  all  the  world.  If  we 
hurt  ourselves,  we  tumbled  incontinently  into 
her  nursery  and  cried  it  out  in  her  loving 
arms.  If  we  were  overflowing  with  fun  and 
joy,  we  took  her  by  storm,  pulled  her  down 
among  our  rag  babies  and  block  houses,  fed  her 
with  our  mud  pies,  and  grew  old  and  wise  and 
good  as  she  kissed  and  petted  us.  I  can  never 
remember  that  she  told  us  we  were  sinners  or 
prayed  with  us  ;  but  she  gave  us  big  red  apples, 
the  biggest  and  reddest  that  ever  grew  out  of 
Eden,  and  she  would  tell  us,  as  she  watched  us 
greedily  devour  them,  how  much  nicer  it  was 
to  be  good  and  have  such  nice  things  than  to 
be  naughty  and  for  that  shut  up  in  some  dark 
closet.     She  loved  flowers  and  her  little  garden 

'37 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 

was  always  ablaze  with  the  brightest  and  best. 
It  seems  to  me  now  that  the  fragrance  and  tint- 
ing of  those  flowers  were  part  of  her  being, 
that  she  was  always  waiting  for  a  chance  to 
drop  them  on  the  straight  and  narrow  road, 
thus  making  it  alluring  to  our  beauty-loving 
eyes.  Dear  human  children  we  were  to  her, 
not  angels  (for  I  have  already  told  you  she 
owned  ten) ;  not  under  the  curse,  with  the  trail 
of  the  serpent  all  over  us,  but  little  ones  to  be 
taken  in  her  great  motherly  arms  and  blessed 
and  brought  to  Jesus  ;  that  was  it,  brought, 
not  driven.  And  so  when  we  stood,  a  large 
band,  weeping  around  her  cofiin.  Heaven 
seemed  very  near  and  dear,  very  homelike,  be- 
cause she  was  there.  I  doubt  whether,  even  to 
this  day,  there  is  one  of  us  who  does  not  look 
forward  to  her  warm  welcome,  if  perchance  we 
may  go  to  her,  with  something  of  the  yearning 
with  which,  as  little  ones,  we  used  to  anticipate 
a  visit  to  her  sunny  home.  A  mother  of  the 
olden  time.  Can  our  women  of  the  period 
show  better  ?  " 


CHAPTER  VI 

FATHER   AND  SON 


"  Exhorted,  comforted  and  charged     .      .      .      as  a  father 
doth  his  children.''^ — I  Thessalonians  2:11. 


CHAPTER    VI 

FATHER   AND    SON 

1823-1827 


THE  following  chapter  contains  letters 
written  by  John  Adams  to  his  son, 
William,  while  the  latter  was  a  teacher 
in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  and  afterwards  when 
a  student  at  Yale  College.  A  few  letters  from 
Mrs.  Adams,  also  directed  to  William  Adams, 
are  given  at  the  end  of  the  chapter.  It  is  a 
matter  for  regret  that  we  have  not  been  able  to 
recover  more  of  the  correspondence  between 
John  Adams  and  his  children,  which  seems  to 
have  been  extensive  and  full  of  interest. 

"  To  Mr.  William  Adams, 
"  Norwich,  Conn. 
"  From  the  drift  of  your  letter  to  Elizabeth 
I    am  led    to   conclude   that    you    have    some 

141 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

trials,  cares  and  perplexities,  and  in  your  own 
view  discouragements.  But,  really,  my  son, 
they  are  hardly  worth  mentioning.  You  are 
only  beginning  to  see  that  real  life  is  a  very 
different  thing  from  that  picture  of  the  imag- 
ination with  which  the  youthful  mind  is  often 
delighted.  The  truth  is,  that  every  circum- 
stance attending  your  situation  is  more  pleas- 
ant than  we  had  any  reason  to  expect.  Take 
courage  then  and  go  forward  in  the  con- 
stant and  faithful  discharge  of  every  known 
duty.  Your  school  will  fill  up  in  due  season, 
if  you  are  patient,  diligent,  provident,  indus- 
trious and  prayerful.  What  if  you  have  the 
care  of  two  little  boys  when  out  of  school  ? 
Can  this  be  named  in  comparison  with  a  house 
full  of  children  and  boarders  ?  What  if  you 
are  required  to  advance  money  for  wood-cut- 
ting, etc.  ?  You  are  not  at  present  required  to 
feed,  clothe  and  educate  a  large  family  of  child- 
ren whose  every  look,  word,  action  and  feel- 
ing causes  some  tender  string  in  the  parent's 
heart  to  vibrate.  But  enough  of  this.  You 
have  only  to  be  thankful  for  past  mercies  and 

142 


William  Adams,  D.D.,  LL.D. 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

present  mercies,  and  to  trust  in  God  for  ihe 
future.  You  say  something  about  quitting 
your  school  at  the  end  of  the  first  quarter,  but 
this  must  not  be  on  any  account  except  sick- 
ness. It  would  look  like  instability,  and  show 
a  want  of  resolution  and  perseverance.  No. 
I  repeat  it,  do  your  duty  !  All  your  friends 
here  are  congratulating  us  on  account  of  your 
eligible  situation  and  the  plan  you  are  now 
pursuing,  not  excepting  President  Day  of 
Yale,  to  whom  I  made  known  my  plan  in  re- 
spect to  your  education.  Thus  far  I  have 
written  in  school  and  I  must  now  close,  leav- 
ing the  details  of  family  circumstances,  exami- 
nation, company,  etc.,  to  your  sisters  or 
brothers,  and  subscribe  myself, 

"  Your  affectionate  father, 

"  John  Adams. 
"  Andover,  Sept.  29,  1823." 

"  Have  you  not  wounded  the  feelings  of 
some  by  changing  your  boarding-place  ?  If 
you  board  with  the  L's  will  you  not  be  con- 
sidered   their    comrade    rather    than    their    in- 

'43 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 

structor  ?  Have  you  family  prayers  where 
you  now  board  ?  What  is  the  character  of 
your  parties  ?  Do  they  tend  to  private  piety  ? 
Do  you  feel  more  devout  and  prayerful  after 
retiring  from  these  parties  ?  You  must  not 
forget  that  you  are  surrounded  by  various 
temptations,  and  are  liable  to  be  led  imper- 
ceptibly into  the  paths  which  will  not  con- 
duct you  to  your  Saviour  but  from  him.  I 
do  not  undertake  to  decide  for  you,  but  I 
make  inquiries  in  the  expectation  that  you 
will  give  me  all  needed  information,  and  that 
you  will  improve  my  questions  as  salutary 
cautions. 

"  You  ask  my  advice  in  respect  to  giving 
private  instruction.  My  opinion  is  that  nei- 
ther money  or  favor  should  induce  you  to 
give  such  instruction  to  any  individual  until 
your  school  is  full,  nor  even  then  unless  you 
have  extra  compensation,  and  it  can  be  done 
without  injuring  your  health  or  diminishing 
your  usefulness  in  school.  The  course  you  are 
now  pursuing  will  probably  thin  your  school  ; 
others  will  want  private  instruction,  and  if  you 

144 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

will  not  accommodate  them  they  will  think  you 
are  partial,  and  after  a  short  time  will  quit  the 
school,  and  then  will  influence  others  to  do  the 
same. 

"  First  get  your  school  full,  so  that  it  shall  be 
considered  as  a  privilege  to  be  admitted  a  mem- 
ber, and  then  give  your  undivided  attention  to 
the  improvement  and  religious  instruction  of 
your  pupils.  Show  yourself  a  workman  in 
every  respect  worthy  of  the  responsible  station 
which  you  occupy.  Such  a  course  would  be 
wise,  and  such  a  course  I  hope  you  will  pursue. 
Now,  my  son,  I  feel  that  I  have  given  you 
enough  advice,  and  I  must  close,  wishing  you 
a  bountiful  provision  of  that  wisdom  which  is 
from  above. 

"  From  your  affectionate  father, 

"  J.  Adams. 

"Andover,  October  20,  1823." 

"Phillips  Academy,  Oct.  14,  1823. 
"  This   you   will  probably   receive  from  the 
hand  of  your  dear  brother  Ripley.   He  is  about 
to  leave  us  and  return    to  college,  and  amidst 

145 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

all  our  anxiety  for  him  we  feel  a  satisfaction  in 
commending  him  to  a  kind  Providence.  Your 
last  letter  was  very  interesting  to  us  all,  being 
written  in  a  better  state  of  mind  than  when  you 
penned  your  former  letter.  Your  indisposi- 
tion, I  hope,  is  entirely  removed  before  this 
time.  We  are  pleased,  on  your  account,  that 
your  school  is  filling  up.  But  do  not  expect 
to  be  exempt  from  trials.  You  will  have  your 
share  of  these,  greater  or  less,  every  day.  You 
must  be  prepared  to  meet  them  like  a  man  and 
like  a  Christian.  Agreeably  to  your  request,  I 
will  give  you  a  few  general  maxims  respecting 
the  government  of  a  school.  Never  correct  to 
gratify  your  own  feelings,  but  for  the  good  of 
the  offender.  Never  inflict  punishment  of  any 
kind  when  in  a  passion.  Never  let  your  pupils 
see  you  angry,  but  always  cool,  collected,  firm. 
Never  threaten,  and  then  you  will  not  commit 
yourself  nor  embarrass  yourself.  Your  word 
must  be  law  to  your  pupils.  Never  punish 
publicly  unless  in  some  rare  instance,  when  the 
offence  is  of  such  a  nature  as  absolutely  to  re- 
quire it.     When   you  do  punish,  never  dismiss 

146 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

the  subject,  nor  let  the  offender  pass  out  of 
your  hands  so  long  as  he  exhibits  a  sullen,  re- 
vengeful or  pouting  temper.  Special  attention 
must  be  paid  at  all  times  to  the  temper  of  your 
pupils.  As  to  the  subject  of  emulation — how 
far  it  is  to  be  excited  by  the  instructor,  and 
what  motives  he  is  to  present — I  would  ob- 
serve that  this  is  a  very  difficult  subject,  and 
has  given  me  much  solicitude.  I  know  of  no 
better  rule  than  this  :  To  present  such  motives 
as  you  believe  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  ap- 
prove, and  to  labor  constantly  to  impress  upon 
the  minds  of  your  pupils  their  duty  strictly  to 
observe  the  Pauline  injunction,  '  Whether  ye 
eat  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the 
glory  of  God.' 

"I  am  fully  of  the  opinion  that  your  own  im- 
provement in  your  present  situation,  for  the 
first  year,  will  be  greater  than  it  would  be  as  a 
freshman  at  college ;  particularly  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  English  language,  mathematics, 
and  an  acquaintance  with  human  nature.  You 
must  suffer  me  again  to  remind  you  of  the 
great   importance   of   paying    special   attention 

»47 


THE    STORY    OF     JOHN    ADAMS 

to  the  preservation  of  your  health.  You  must 
have  system,  and  observe  it  especially  in  re- 
spect to  your  diet,  exercise,  etc.  Let  all  your 
food  be  plain,  such  as  will  not  oppress  you  ; 
your  drink,  water  or  milk  ;  and  while  attentive 
to  the  mortal  part  which,  at  the  longest,  must 
moulder  in  the  grave,  I  beseech  you  not  to 
neglect  that  better  part  which  will  exist  forever. 
"  From  your  affectionate  father, 

"  John   Adams." 

"  Phillips  Academy,  October  28,  1 823. 

"  Your  letter,  which  was  dated  the  26th  inst., 
was  received  to-day.  Like  a  good  boy,  you 
have  replied  to  all  my  inquiries  and  I  am  en- 
tirely satisfied  with  your  explanation.  If  the 
L's  have  but  one  recitation  a  day,  and  you  can 
attend  to  that  without  any  serious  inconveni- 
ence to  yourself  or  school,  I  heartily  approve 
of  the  plan  pursued.  The  sooner  you  intro- 
duce family  prayer  the  better.  The  longer 
the  subject  is  delayed  the  more  difficult  it  will 
be  to  make  a  beginning.  This  service  should 
not   be   lengthy,  but  appropriate,  solemn   and 

148 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 


interesting,  and  never  omitted,  except  in  special 
cases  of  necessity. 

"  Our  vacation  will  commence  two  weeks  from 
to-morrow,  but  it  is  now  uncertain  whether  I 
go  to  Norwich  during  the  vacation.  I  wish 
very  much  to  see  you  in  Norwich  at  the  head  of 
your  school,  and  to  ascertain  if  it  be  best  for  you 
and  pleasant  to  your  employers  that  you  should 
continue  through  the  year.  This  I  can  say, 
that,  if  Providence  permits,  I  intend  to  visit 
you  at  Norwich  during  my  vacation.  And 
should  you  be  greatly  disappointed  in  not  hav- 
ing the  pleasure  of  seeing  me  then,  I  hope  you 
will  not  murmur.  You  may  be  assured  that 
you  do  not  write  to  us  too  frequently  and  that 
we  are  highly  gratified  in  the  perusal  of  your 
letters.  We  want  you  to  unbosom  your  heart  to 
us,  and  to  be  assured  that  we  often  think  of 
you  and  converse  about  you ;  and  that  you 
stand  as  high  in  our  esteem  and  affection  as 
you  can  desire.  Instead  of  doubting  this  be- 
cause of  the  number  and  style  of  my  letters,  I 
had  supposed  that  you  would  argue  thus,  '  My 
father  intends  that  I  shall  be  a  good  man,  and 

149 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

a  respectable  and  useful  man.  If  he  had  not 
intended  all  this,  if  he  had  not  placed  great 
confidence  in  my  abilities  and  character,  would 
he  have  introduced  me  into  this  situation  with 
all  its  responsibilities  ? '  We  believe  that  you 
will  do  well,  we  expect  it ;  we  shall  be  greatly 
disappointed  if  you  do  not.  But  our  anxiety, 
our  advice,  our  caution  are  all  to  be  received 
by  you  as  expressions  of  father's  love,  and  were 
never  intended  to  give  you  one  moment's  un- 
easiness. Go  forward,  my  dear  son,  feeling 
that  you  are  not  your  own,  but  bought  with  a 
price. 

Your  affectionate  father, 

J.  Adams." 


"Phillips  Academy,  Sab.  Eve.,  June  27,  1824. 
"  You  seem  very  desirous  that  I  should  decide 
for  you,  whether  you  are  to  continue  in  school 
another  year  or  not.  I  cannot  judge  wisely  on 
this  important  subject,  without  the  knowledge 
of  more  facts.  Are  you  attached  to  your 
school  ?  Do  you  love  your  pupils  ?  Do  you 
love   your  employment,  and  are  you  satisfied 

150 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

that  you  are  in  the  path  of  duty,  and  that, 
while  you  are  instructing  others,  you  are 
also  preparing  yourself  for  more  extensive  use- 
fulness ? 

"I  am  well  satisfied  that,  thus  far,  you  have 
been  as  successful  as  we  had  reason  to  expect. 
You  have  received,  and  are  still  receiving  atten- 
tion, caresses,  and  commendations  enough  to 
destroy  a  young  man  of  your  age  and  inexperi- 
ence. My  fears  for  you  from  this  source  are 
excited  in  no  small  degree.  Few,  very  few, 
can  pass  through  such  scenes  of  applause  and 
such  uninterrupted  prosperity  without  being 
essentially  injured.  And  can  you,  my  son,  and 
do  you,  my  son,  maintain  a  close  walk  with 
God  ?  And  in  the  midst  of  all  the  amusements, 
celebrations,  literary  clubs,  societies,  and  splen- 
did parties — do  you  find  time  and  do  you  find 
a  heart  to  commune  with  your  Saviour  ?  What 
would  be  the  testimony  of  the  most  humble, 
devout  and  exemplary  Christians  that  have 
knowledge  of  your  daily  walk  and  conversa- 
tion? Or  rather,  what  is  the  testimonv  of 
your  own  conscience  in  relation  to  this  subject? 

151 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

Does  it  whisper  peace,  or  does  it  remonstrate 
and  kindly  admonish  vou  to  be  on  your  guard 
lest  you  become  conformed  to  this  world? 
Most  of  the  young  gentlemen  with  whom  you 
are  associated,  if  I  mistake  not,  make  no  pre- 
tensions to  religion.  Whenever,  therefore,  you 
are  in  this  company  you  must  not  forget  that 
you  are  a  professed  follower  of  Christ.  Many 
things  in  them  might  pass  without  censure, 
which  in  you  would  wound  the  pious  heart. 
Is  there  a  party  and  a  Prayer  Meeting  on  the 
same  evening  ?  Which  shall  the  Professor  of 
Religion  attend  ?  Both  he  cannot.  Let  him 
maintain  consistency,  and  do  that  which  will  be 
pleasing  to  his  Saviour,  rather  than  labor  to 
please  and  gratify  the  unbelieving. 

"  From  the  tone  of  my  letter  you  see  that  my 
fears  are  excited  from  the  very  sources  where 
you  expect  the  least  danger.  You  see  a 
father's  solicitude.  Convince  me  that  you  are 
in  no  danger  of  floating  with  the  current,  or 
rather  that  you  will  deny  yourself,  take  up 
your  cross  daily  and  follow  Christ,  and  I 
would  not  hesitate    to    say   you   are   safe   any- 

152 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

where.  But  without  this  you  can  be  sate  no- 
where, neither  in  Norwich  nor  at  college,  at 
home  or  abroad. 

"  You  will  say,  '  This  is  not  to  the  point ;  I 
want  father's  advice  as  to  my  continuance  an- 
other year  in  the  school.'  If  you  will  be  careful 
of  vour  health  and  will  pursue  in  all  respects  the 
safest  and  wisest  measures,  I  shall  be  altogether 
in  favor  of  your  tarrying  another  year,  both  as 
respects  your  finances  and  your  future  use- 
fulness. 

Your  affectionate  father, 

"  John  Adams." 

The  following  letters  were  addressed  to 
William  Adams  while  in  Yale  College  : 

"  Andover,  Phillips  Academy,  \^ 
January  5,  1825.  ] 

"  Your  letter  to  us  of  the  second  instant  was 
received  in  due  time  and  has  been  perused  with 
much  interest.  Your  remarks  upon  the  New 
Year,  respecting  the  scenes,  the  trials,  and 
mournful    events    of  the  past   year  were  judi- 

»53 


THE    STORY    OF     JOHN    ADAMS 

ciously  made.  If  you  find  it  painful  to  review 
the  past  year,  and  call  to  mind  neglected  duties 
or  unfaithfulness  to  those  who  are  now  beyond 
the  reach  of  your  influence,  instead  of  sinking 
in  despondency,  you  ought  now  to  do  your 
duty  to  those  around  you.  If  you  want  com- 
fort in  religion  you  must  live  religiously.  De- 
spondency is  not  what  Christ  requires  of  his 
disciples,  but  Christian  fortitude  and  cheerful 
and  constant  obedience.  '  Elijah,  what  doest 
thou  here  ? '  was  once  addressed  to  a  despond- 
ing prophet.  O,  that  Christians  were  all  wise  ! 
and  would  remember  that  they  must  fight 
against  sin  as  long  as  they  live.  This  is  no 
time  for  rest  or  for  shirking  from  duties  or 
from  trials.  '  What  doest  thou  ? ' — not,  '  How 
do  you  feel  ? '  is  the  important  question.  You 
cannot  draw  comfort  from  your  past  life  or  for- 
mer experience ;  such  an  attempt  would  be 
vain  or  delusive.  No,  let  your  comfort  arise 
daily  from  the  consciousness  that  you  are  doing 
the  will  of  God,  and  that  you  look  to  the  Cross 
of  Christ  as  your  only  hope.  We  long  to  hear 
that  pure  religion  is  revived  in  Yale,  and   that 

154 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 


all   the   professed  disciples  of  Christ  in  college 
are  doing  their  duty. 

"  Your  affectionate  father, 

"John   Adams." 

"Tuesday  Evening,  Feb.  21,  1826. 
"  While  your  mother  is  constantly  employed 
in  ministering  to  the  sick,  she  says  :  '  You  must 
write  to  William  this  evening.'     The  influenza 
is  very  prevalent  among  us,  but  with  gratitude 
it  ought  to  be  named  that,  although  sick,  we  are 
not   dead ;    although    perplexed,   yet   not   for- 
saken, and   that  all   appear    to    be  recovering. 
My   own   health  has  not  been  good  for  several 
weeks   past.     I    have  been  exercised  with  con- 
siderable pain  in  my   left  breast,  in  the  region 
of  the   heart.     Your  letter  received  to-day,  to- 
gether with   your  former   letters  to  the  family, 
leads   me  to  think  that  you   stand   in    need  of 
some   very    serious    advice.     You    may    think 
that  you  are   troubled  with  a  nervous  affection 
or  that  you  have  some  symptoms  of  an  inflam- 
mation of  the   brain,  or  that  a  consumption  is 
seated  upon  you  or  is  about  to   commence  its 

155 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

work,  of  destruction,  or  that  you  will  never  see 
home  again,  that  you  cannot  eat  and  that  your 
sleep  is  gone  from  you,  etc.,  etc.  Now,  away 
with  all  this  !  It  is  a  fact,  and  you  must  not 
deny  it,  that  you  are  too  fond  of  home,  and 
you  think  too  much  of  home  ;  and  this  is  the 
real  procuring  cause  of  your  uneasiness  and  un- 
happiness,  and  leads  to  all  your  woes  and  pains 
and  privations  real  and  imaginary.  Now,  my 
son,  rise  above  it  all,  be  a  man  and  a  consistent 
Christian.  If  you  give  way  to  the  sallies  of 
your  imagination,  you  will  be  unmanned  and 
will  disappoint  the  expectations  of  your  parents 
and  friends.  Could  you  be  happy  at  home  to 
be  nothing  and  to  be  doing  nothing  ?  Should 
you  quit  your  studies  and  all  your  prospects  of 
future  usefulness  and  come  home,  and  remain 
at  home,  how  long  would  your  happiness  con- 
tinue ?  But,  hark  !  your  father  is  dead,  your 
mother  is  no  more,  your  sisters  are  dead  or 
have  families  of  their  own.  Where  is  now 
that  fond  home,  that  family  so  much  beloved  ! 
Gone  !  No,  my  son,  consider  what  is  duty 
and  then  perform  it,  and  whenever  your  imag- 
ination begins  to  wander,  check  it  immediately. 

156 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

Whenever  you  begin  to  think  of  home,  ask. 
yourself  whether  you  ought  not  to  think  less 
of  home  and  more  of  Heaven  and  your  duty. 
Do  your  thoughts  involuntarily  dwell  on  your 
beloved  friends  at  home  ?  Remember  Him 
who  has  done  more  for  you  and  suffered  more 
and  has  never  ceased  to  give  you  convincing 
evidence  that  you  are  under  far  greater  obliga- 
tions of  love  and  gratitude  to  Him  than  to  all 
your  earthly  friends.  My  son,  God  has  blessed 
you  with  a  good  constitution,  a  sound  head, 
and  a  sound  mind.  You  have  nothing  to  fear. 
If  you  go  forward  in  the  path  of  duty,  control- 
ling your  thoughts  and  imagination,  living  not 
to  yourself  nor  for  yourself,  but  to  the  glory 
of  your  Redeemer,  you  have  nothing  to  fear. 
I  have  endeavored  to  give  you  '  serious  advice,' 
such  as  your  own  respectability  at  College  and 
at  home  requires,  such  as  your  own  happiness 
and  usefulness  demands  ;  now,  if  you  will  re- 
ceive it  as  from  your  best  earthly  friend,  and 
will  follow  it,  you  will  have  better  nerves  and 
better  health. 

"  Your  affectionate  father, 

"John   Adams." 

«S7 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

"Phillips  Academy,  December  28,  1826. 

' '  I  wish  I  could  relieve  your  anxiety  by  in- 
forming you  that  your  dear  Mother  is  entirely 
restored  to  health,  but  she  is  now  as  ill  as  she 
ever  has  been  since  her  first  attack.  (Mother 
says  this  is  not  true,  and  that  she  expects  to  be 
well  enough  to  write  you  herself  next  week.) 
She  has  not  left  her  chamber  for  eight  weeks. 
At  one  time  she  appeared  to  be  in  a  state  of 
convalescence.  But  she  was  again  attacked  by 
the  complaint  last  Sabbath  evening,  and  is  still 
very  weak  and  feeble,  though  not  exercised 
with  much  pain.  It  is  not  very  probable  that 
she  will  think  it  prudent  to  leave  her  chamber 
this  winter.  When  the  Spring  opens,  we  hope 
that  by  journeying  her  health,  with  the  Divine 
blessing,  may  be  restored.  We  do  not  con- 
sider her  in  immediate  danger.  If  she  should 
become  sick  to  an  alarming  degree,  you  shall 
be  informed  regularly.  We  have  no  disposi- 
tion to  keep  from  your  knowledge  any  facts 
respecting  her, 

"  Your  affectionate  father, 

"John   Adams." 
158 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

"  Your  trip  to  New  York,  Philadelphia,  etc., 
was  characteristic  of  yourself.  You  made  dis- 
patch. If  you  had  spent  a  few  days  longer  in 
each  of  those  large  cities,  you  would  have 
found  much  to  please  and  instruct  you. 

"  Our  family  are  grateful  to  hear  so  favorable 
an  account  of  your  oration  and  other  parts 
performed  at  your  Exhibition.  But  let  none 
of  these  things  turn  to  your  disadvantage. 
Beware,  my  son,  beware  !  Few,  very  few, 
can  have  encomiums  bestowed  on  them  with- 
out injury  to  their  own  character.  Prodi- 
gality in  dress,  expenses  and  manner  of  liv- 
ing, self  merit,  vanity,  pride,  ambition, 
neglect  of  appropriate  duties,  conformity  to  the 
world,  neglect  of  prayer,  forgetfulness  of  God, 
disgrace  and  eternal  ruin — are  all  fostered  more 
or  less  by  prosperity  and  the  flatteries  of  inju- 
dicious friends.  You  will  not  mistake  my 
meaning.  I  rejoice  in  all  your  prosperity  and 
pray  that  it  may  not  in  any  way  prove  injuri- 
ous to  you. 

"  Your  affectionate  father, 

"  John  Adams." 

»59 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

From  Mrs.  Adams. 
"An DOVER,  Friday,  December  9. 
"  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  from  you  yesterday 
afternoon.  My  anxiety  was  in  some  measure  re- 
lieved by  what  you  wrote.  I  rejoice  that  your 
health  is  better,  and  that  you  have  so  many 
kind  friends.  William,  you  must  be  very  care- 
ful of  your  health,  and  be  particular  about  your 
food.  Do  not  sit  up  too  late.  There  is  a 
great  revival  in  Middleberry  College,  and  Dr. 
Bates's  four  children  are  subjects  of  the  work. 
There  are  also  some  very  hopeful  appearances 
in  Williams  College.  Is  there  nothing  in 
Yale  ?  I  hope  sickness  and  deaths  may  be 
sanctified  to  you  all.  Here  it  is  very  healthy, 
except  that  John's  room-mate  is  sick  with  lung 
complaint,  but  even  he  is  better  than  he  has 
been.  He  stayed  with  us  for  a  fortnight,  im- 
proved and  went  back  to  college ;  but  he  has 
been  very  unwell  since.  We  had  company  here 
last  night,  so  that  the  girls  could  not  write,  and 
on  Friday  evening  they  had  a  reading  society 
at  Esq.  Farrar's.  I  was  afraid  that  you  would 
miss  your  letter  and  so  commenced  this  sheet." 

160 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

From  Mrs.  Adams. 
"  We  thank  you  very  much  for  your  last 
letter.  This  evening  I  have  learnt  that  Cousin 
Asher  Perkins  is  burnt  out  of  house  and  home. 
If  you  know  any  particulars  respecting  his  loss 
mention  them  in  your  next.  We  are  all  in  our 
usual  health.  William,  I  hope  that  you  have 
improved  in  health,  and  that  you  grow  in  grace. 
We  are  very  dead,  though  Mr.  Edwards's  people 
are,  I  think,  in  an  interesting  state.  His  Bible 
classes  are  crowded  ;  as  many  as  200  attend  his 
class  for  gentlemen.  Harriet  has  told  you  that 
little  Leonard  Smith  is  dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Smith  appear  very  well.  They  have  grown  in 
grace.  Mr.  S.  thinks  it  will  make  him  a  better 
preacher.  He  will  know  how  to  comfort  the 
afflicted.  There  has  never  been  a  death  in  Dr. 
Woods's  house  since  he  was  married.  He  does 
not  know  how  heart-rending  it  is,  when  the  ties 
which  bind  one  to  a  beloved  child  are  suddenly 
broken.  We  have  great  reason  for  gratitude 
to  the  Lord  for  his  goodness  to  us  as  a  family. 
While  others  have  sickened  and  died,  we  have 
been  preserved.     A  son  of  Mr.  Frye,  who  lives 

161 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

over  the  river,  was  recently  taken  very  ill  with 
influenza.  He  lived  a  few  days,  deprived 
of  reason,  and  then  died.  We  have  no  reason 
to  think  that  he  was  prepared.  O,  that  we 
may  all  be  prepared  for  our  last  and  great 
change. 

"  From  your 

"  Mother." 

"  Andover,  April  29. 

"  As  Mr.  T.  leaves  us  in  the  morning,  I 
write  a  few  lines  to  inform  you  that  we  are  all 
well.  I  send  you  a  shirt  (it  is  a  very  nice  one 
and  you  must  keep  it  for  special  occasions). 
Also  a  handkerchief  that  you  left  at  home.  If 
you  want  stockings  or  pocket-handkerchiefs  or 
thin  clothes,  you  must  purchase  them.  Your 
father  approves  of  your  going  to  New  York. 
It  must  be  very  interesting  to  be  there  when 
the  societies  meet.  Write  us  from  there  and 
give  us  the  particulars. 

"  Good  night, 

"  Mother." 
162 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

From  Mrs.  Adams 
"Andover,  February  i8,  1827. 
"  I  was  very  happy  in  receiving  a  letter  from 
you  dated  the  fourth  of  this  month.  I  suppose 
you  will  want  to  know  something  about  my 
health.  It  is  improving  every  day.  I  have 
not  been  down-stairs  as  yet,  but  I  have  been  in 
the  other  chamber.  I  am  spinning  for  exercise. 
Some  days  I  can  spin  my  twenty-one  knots.  I 
am  making  a  carpet.  William,  I  was  very  glad 
to  hear  you  speak  as  you  did  of  New  York.  I 
have  had  some  anxiety,  fearing  you  would  give 
up  the  ministry  and  go  into  business.  A  Miss 
Tucker,  from  Newburyport,  has  opened  a 
school  here  in  the  vestry.  She  is  a  very  pious 
young  lady,  and  they  say  highly  recommended. 
She  attends  to  all  the  higher  branches  and  to 
music.  If  I  thought  that  wind  and  weather 
and  walking  would  permit,  I  would  send  Abby- 
Ann  and  Emily.  I  have  been  down  below  this 
afternoon  for  the  first  time  in  fourteen  weeks. 
I  hope  I  am  sufficiently  thankful  that  my  life 
is  spared.  Oh,  that  I  may  live  more  to  the 
glory  of  God  than  ever   I    have   done   before  ! 

163 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

May  I  be  more  devoted  to  my  family  and  more 
useful  to  them  than  I  have  been  in  the  past ! 
My  neighbors  sicken  and  die,  but  I  am 
spared  !  " 

From  Mrs.  Adams. 

"  Andover,  June  28,  ] 

"  Tuesday  Afternoon.  ] 
"  Do  not  think,  dear  William,  that  because 
we  have  not  written  we  have  forgotten  you. 
That  is  very  far  from  the  truth.  You  are 
mentioned  every  day,  but,  owing  to  multipli- 
city of  business  and  cares,  we  have  had  no  time 
for  letters.  I  think  I  can  say  with  certainty 
that  Phoebe  is  better.  If  she  has  no  more  set- 
backs she  will  soon  recover.  She  rides  out 
every  pleasant  day.  John  is  also  much  better. 
He  rides,  writes,  walks  and  reads.  I  think  his 
mind  is  more  comfortable — much  more  so. 
William,  it  is  the  particular  wish  of  your  father 
and  mother  that  you  should  not  go  sailing  this 
summer,  nor  bathe  in  deep  water.  A  very 
melancholy  accident  took  place  in  Portsmouth 
last  Wednesday.      Eight  persons  were  drowned 

164 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

at  Hanover,  two  of  them  Ripley's  classmates. 
They  went  out  for  a  party  of  pleasure  ;  there 
came  a  little  gust  of  wind  and  upset  the  boat 
when  two  or  three  miles  from  shore,  and  all 
went  to  the  bottom.  At  the  time  we  heard  of 
the  accident  the  bodies  had  not  been  found. 
William,  I  want  you  to  tell  me  all  about  the 
seriousness  in  town  and  college.  Be  very  par- 
ticular about  your  health,  your  diet  and  exer- 
cise, and  the  sailing.  Tell  me  that  you  will  not 
go !  Your  father  said  you  must  be  careful 
about  going  into  the  water,  for  in  some  places 
it  is  very  deep,  and  there  are  sharks.  You  are 
too  precious  for  them.  Be  careful.  Remember 
us  to  all  your  friends. 

"  Mother." 


4 
; 


CHAPTER  VII 

OLD  ANDOVER 


'  *  A  city  that  is  set  on  a  hill. 

— Matthew  5:14. 


CHAPTER    VII 

OLD   ANDOVER 


THE  richest  and  happiest  years  of  John 
Adams's  life  were  passed  in  Old  And- 
over.  With  no  other  community 
did  he  ever  become  so  fully  identified  ;  and 
when  after  twenty-three  years  of  residence  he 
left  the  town,  it  still  remained  both  to  him  and 
to  his  children  the  one  spot  on  earth  which 
they  called  home. 

And  not  only  did  Mr.  Adams  spend  the 
best  years  of  his  own  life  in  Andover,  but  he 
lived  in  the  interesting  old  town  at  what 
might  be  called  the  classic  period  of  its  history. 
At  no  other  time  have  its  streets  been  trodden 
by  the  footsteps  of  more  eminent  men  than 
during  the  quarter  century  of  his  incumbency 

169 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

of  the  Principal's  chair  in  Phillips  Academy. 
Dr.  Justin  Edwards  was  at  this  time  pastor  of 
the  Old  South  Church.  Dr.  Ebenezer  Porter 
was  President  of  the  newly  founded  Theologi- 
cal Seminary,  Dr.  Leonard  Woods  filled  the 
influential  chair  of  Systematic  Theology,  while 
from  the  study  of  Professor  Moses  Stuart  were 
issuing  those  Hebrew  text-books  which  revo- 
lutionized that  department  of  learning  in  our 
country. 

These  were  the  men  who  became  John 
Adams's  most  intimate  and  valued  friends. 
With  them  he  was  associated  in  the  many 
works  of  piety  and  philanthropy  which  had 
their  origin  in  Andover  during  the  early  years 
of  this  century.  These  inspiring  contacts  he 
ever  counted  among  the  highest  privileges  of 
his  life. 

When  John  Adams  came  to  Andover  it  was 
a  quiet  town  with  scanty  facilities  for  communi- 
cation with  the  outside  world.  Josiah  Quincy 
tells  us  that  in  1810  the  mail  carrier  came  but 
three  times  in  the  week,  that  letters  cost  twenty- 
five  cents  apiece  and  that  the  only  newspaper 

170 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

which  he  ever  saw  in  the  town  was  a  sheet  devoted 
to  the  interests  of  Colchester  which  was  taken  by 
John  Adams.  Nevertheless  through  its  Acad- 
emy and  Seminary  Andover  was  a  centre  of 
influence  in  New  England.  Those  were  the 
days  of  strong  Unitarian  reaction  and  the  theo- 
logical Seminary  upon  Andover  Hill  became 
the  most  important  citadel  of  old-fashioned  or- 
thodoxy. Controversy  was  in  the  air.  Those 
who  believed  in  the  rigid  Calvinism  of  its 
professors  spoke  of  the  site  as  "  the  Hill  of 
Zion,"  while  among  the  body  of  its  opponents 
it  was  popularly  known  as  "  Brimstone  Hill." 
A  well-known  caricature  of  the  day  repre- 
sents the  three  chief  professors  of  the  Seminary 
at  work  in  a  mill.  Professor  Stuart  is  busily  en- 
gaged in  throwing  pumpkins  into  a  hopper, 
Dr.  Woods,  the  theologian,  is  saying  in  his 
cautious  way,  "  Not  so  fast,  Brother  Stuart ; 
not  so  fast."  While  Dr.  Porter,  the  President, 
takes  the  little  ministers  as  they  emerge  from 
the  hopper  and  carefully  dusts  them  ofi^  with  a 
whisk  broom.  But  the  friends  of  the  Seminary 
could  turn  the  weapon  of  ridicule  against  their 

171 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

assailants.  Once,  when  amid  a  roar  of  laughter 
a  young  Harvard  graduate  had  described  this 
picture  at  a  large  party  in  Boston,  composed 
chiefly  of  those  who  had  little  sympathy  with 
the  Seminary,  a  gentleman  sitting  by  remarked 
quietly,  "  At  Andover  they  put  in  pumpkins 
and  they  come  out  ministers ;  that  is  better 
than  some  other  institutions  where  they  put  in 
pumpkins  and  they  come  out  pumpkins." 

The  figures  of  the  Seminary  professors  have 
been  often  described.  The  first  to  claim  our 
notice  is  Dr.  Ebenezer  Porter,  the  President, 
and  Professor  of  Sacred  Rhetoric.  He  was  a 
tall  man,  with  a  large  head,  covered  with  stiff 
grey  hair,  an  immovable  eye,  and  a  mouth 
drawn  as  if  in  pain.  A  chronic  invalid,  he  yet 
always  presented  to  his  students  the  pattern  of 
a  Christian  gentleman.  No  suffering  had  ever 
been  known  to  make  him  forget  his  exquisite 
courtesy  or  to  disturb  the  dignified  composure 
of  his  manner.  He  lived  in  a  handsome  colo- 
nial house,  which  had  been  built  but  never  oc- 
cupied by  Dr.  Edward  Griffin,  the  well-known 
President  of  Williams  College.    Many  interest- 

11% 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

ing  associations  cluster  about  this  house.  The 
children  of  Andover  had  a  great  awe  of  it,  both 
on  account  of  its  unusual  elegance,  and  because 
of  the  peculiarities  of  its  mistress.  "  Once 
sent  on  an  errand  to  Mrs.  Porter  and  small  in- 
deed was  the  chance  of  escaping  an  impromptu 
prayer-meeting.  '  God  will  listen  to  an  instant's 
prayer  as  well  as  to  a  longer  petition,'  she  was 
accustomed  to  say  to  us  when  we  pleaded  the 
command  to  hasten."  Occasionally  she 
would  invite  children  to  spend  the  day  with  her. 
"  We  were  then,"  says  Emily  Adams,  "  shut  up 
in  the  parlor  with  Doddridge's  '  Rise  and  Pro- 
gress'  and  bread  and  water  for  refreshment. 
From  time  to  time  our  hostess  would  drop  in 
to  offer  a  prayer  and  would  then  retire  leaving 
us  to  think  of  our  lost  condition." 

Who  that  had  attended  them  could  ever  for- 
get the  prayer-meetings  in  behalf  of  the  Jews 
which  were  held  weeklv  at  the  Porter  House  ? 
"  Mrs.  Porter,"  writes  one  of  the  participants,''' 
"  was  the  sole  originator — I  may  say  proprietor 


*Mrs.  Robbin,  in  "  Old  Andover  Days." 

'73 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

— of  these  meetings.  What  charm  she  could 
have  thrown  around  them  to  draw  young  peo- 
ple thither  I  cannot  imagine ;  but  every  Friday 
night  we  climbed  the  icy  steps,  swung  open  the 
carefully  closed  doors,  and  groped  our  way 
through  the  desolate  hall  by  the  aid  of  the  tal- 
low candle  in  the  bright  brass  candlestick,  to  a 
small  room,  where  was  a  stand  holding  the  in- 
evitable tallow  dip,  a  pile  of  hymn  books  and  a 
Bible.  Close  by  there  was  a  red-hot  stove,  and 
almost  touching  the  stove  a  little  woman 
dressed  in  plain  black,  a  light  lace  cap,  with 
narrow  strings,  surmounting  a  face  so  singu- 
larly pale  and  quiet  that  she  might  have  passed 
for  a  saint  slipped  out  from  a  frame.  Two 
small  white  hands  were  always  folded  softly  to- 
gether in  her  lap,  and  two  small  brown  eyes 
twinkled  out  the  only  welcome  we  ever  received. 
Yellow  wooden  chairs  were  arranged  in  close 
and  solemn  order  next  the  walls  of  the  room, 
and  before  these,  to  be  occupied  by  the  smaller 
children,  was  always  carefully  placed  a  carpeted 
foot-stool.  No  matter  how  early  we  came,  not 
a  syllable  was  allowed  to   be   spoken,  and  any 

174 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

attempt  at  a  whisper  was  followed  by  a  denun- 
ciatory trotting  of  the  little  moccasined  feet 
upon  the  bare  floor.  Generally  three  or  four 
of  the  Seminary  students  came  in  to  carry  on 
the  meeting,  chosen  by  Mrs.  Porter  because  of 
their  special  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  the  down- 
trodden race.  Upon  them,  as  upon  us,  rested 
the  magnetism  of  the  occasion.  They  were 
earnest  and  devout.  The  Jews  were  not  cold, 
formal  objects  of  prayers  ;  they  became  living, 
suffering,  sinning  fellow-mortals,  near  and  dear, 
in  that  Christ  had  been  one,  of  them  and  dwelt 
among  them.  This  may  have  been,  and  prob- 
ably was,  the  peculiar  chord  sympathetically 
touched  in  that  dreary  little  room.  I  never 
recall  the  scene  without  feeling  as  if  He  had 
come  into  the  darkness  with  us." 

Dr.  Leonard  Woods,  the  Theologian  of  the 
Seminary,  and  for  many  years  the  President  of 
the  Doctrinal  Tract  Society  of  Boston,  was 
another  tall,  dignified  figure,  with  a  patient, 
gentle  face  and  mild  blue  eyes.  His  students 
had  a  gheat  respect  for  his  clear  insight  and 
formidable  powers  of  logic.      He  was  not  usu- 

•75 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

ally  considered  an  entertaining  companion,  but 
he  had  a  dry  humor  which  stood  him  in  good 
stead  on  some  occasions.  The  following  char- 
acteristic incident  is  related  by  his  daughter  : 
"  In  the  early  part  of  Dr.  Woods's  ministry  he 
was  one  of  an  association  of  clergymen  con- 
vened to  examine  a  young  candidate  for  the 
sacred  office.  All  went  on  well  until  the  Mod- 
erator asked  what  was  called  the  '  test  ques- 
tion '  :  '  Are  you  willing  to  be  damned  for  the 
glory  of  God  ?  '  The  candidate  hesitated  ;  his 
face  blanched.  He  could  not  answer  in  the 
affirmative.  Perceiving  his  embarrassment,  Dr. 
Woods  said  in  his  usual  calm  manner  :  '  Per- 
haps I  can  put  the  question  in  a  way  which  will 
relieve  the  candidate.  Are  you  willing.  Sir, 
that  the  Moderator  should  be  damned  for  the 
glory  of  God  ? '  '  Perfectly,  Sir,  perfectly — if 
such  be  God's  will,'  After  a  hearty  laugh  the 
association  proceeded  to  vote  that  the  candi- 
date be  licensed," 

From  the  cool  atmosphere  of  Dr.  Woods's 
class  room  to  the  fervid  temperature  of  that  of 
Moses    Stuart  was  indeed  a  change.      Of  this 

176 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

famous  teacher  men  often  said,  "  The  sword  Is 
too  sharp  for  the  scabbard."  He  threw  him- 
self intensely  into  all  that  he  did,  whether  it 
were  work  in  a  hay  field,  the  chopping  of  his 
winter's  supply  of  wood,  or  the  preparation  of 
a  brilliant  Biblical  Commentary.  Dr.  O.  W. 
Holmes  writes  i"^'  "  I  have  seen  few  more  sterl- 
ing figures  in  my  life  than  his  as  I  remember 
it.  Tall,  lean,  with  strong  bold  features,  acci- 
pitrine  nose,  thin,  expressive  lips,  great  solem- 
nity and  impressiveness  of  voice  and  manner, 
he  was  my  early  model  of  a  classic  orator. 
His  air  was  Roman,  his  neck  long  and  bare,  like 
Cicero's,  and  his  toga — that  is,  his  broad-cloth 
cloak,  was  carried  on  his  arm  with  such  rigid, 
statue-like  grace  that  he  might  have  been  turned 
into  marble  as  he  stood,  and  looked  noble  by 
the  side  of  the  antiques  in  theVatican." 

Others  with  whom  John  Adams  was  brought 
into  intimate  fellowship  were  his  pastor.  Dr. 
Justin  Edwards,  and  Samuel  Farrar,  Esq.,  the 
treasurer  of  the    Seminary.     The   former  was 


*In  "Cinders  from  the  Ashes." 

177 


THE     STORY     OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

the  wise  and  progressive  minister  of  the  Old 
South  Church,  and  is  best  known  to  history  as 
the  father  of  the  modern  temperance  movement. 
The  latter  became  an  especial  friend  of  Mr. 
Adams,  and  was  bound  to  him  by  ties  of  pecu- 
liar tenderness.  More  than  once  he  expressed 
the  wish  that  he  might  be  buried  near  him. 
"  We  have  lived  together,  my  friend,"  he 
would  say,  "  let  us  rise  together." 

Into  this  honorable  body  of  saints  and  sages 
John  Adams  was  received  with  a  hearty  wel- 
come. He  became,  after  his  own  fashion,  an 
important  factor  in  the  life  of  their  town. 
While  at  no  time  could  he  have  been  called  a 
man  of  many  affairs,  he  was  never  neglectful  of 
his  obligations  as  a  Christian  and  a  citizen.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  deacon  of  the  Seminary 
church,  and  the  poor  of  Andover  have  rea- 
son to  remember  his  faithful  care.  He  con- 
stituted himself  a  sort  of  guardian  of  the  public 
manners  and  morals,  and  none  were  found 
bold  enough  to  dispute  his  sway.  "  Had  John 
Adams,  the  village  Sachem,  seen  a  young  man 
smoking   a  pipe   on   the   streets   of  Andover," 

178 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

writes  Professor  Park,  "  he  would  not  have  hesi- 
tated to  strike  it  from  his  mouth,"  But,  better 
than  this,  he  followed  with  earnest  interest,  and, 
when  possible,  took  an  active  part  in  the  or- 
ganization of  those  great  agencies  for  good  which 
took  their  rise  in  the  Andover  of  his  day. 

Every  Monday  evening  he  might  have  been 
seen  slowly  wending  his  way  across  the  village 
green  toward  the  house  of  the  President,  where, 
with  the  three  Seminary  Professors  and 
Samuel  Farrar,  Dr.  Justin  Edwards  and  Mark 
Newman,  the  latter's  senior  deacon,  he  met  in 
weekly  conference  "  to  devise  ways  and  means 
of  doing  good." 

The  story  of  these  memorable  meetings  in 
Dr.  Porter's  study  has  been  fully  and  beauti- 
fully told  by  Professor  Austin  Phelps.''' 

"  They  have  a  custom  in  the  villages  of  the 
Rhine,"  writes  Professor  Phelps,  "  of  anchoring 
a  grist  mill  in  the  middle  of  the  river  where  the 
current  is  strongest  and  making  the  rapids 
grind  the  food  of  the  whole  community.  The 
river  is  a  docile  laborer  .    It  asks  for  no  wages, 


*  In  "My  Study." 

179 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

threatens  no  strike,  and  never  quits  work  for  a 
carouse.  It  puts  into  the  mill  a  power  inde- 
pendent of  drawbacks  and  which  has  no 
caprices.  So  let  any  man  plant  himself  in  the 
midstream  of  God's  plans  and  take  manful 
grip  at  the  thing  that  comes  first  to  hand,  and 
the  current  of  eternal  decree  will  impart  its  own 
momentum  to  his  work  so  that  it  will  grow 
into  grand  achievement." 

In  such  manner  did  the  simple  men  of  An- 
dover  set  about  their  work.  They  had  no 
thought  of  putting  world-wide  forces  into  opera- 
tion. They  did  what  the  need  of  the  moment 
seemed  to  require,  and  the  story  of  the  result 
reads  like  a  fairy  tale.  At  their  quiet  meetings 
were  born  those  noble  organizations  which  we 
call  the  American  Tract  Society,  the  American 
Education  Society  and  the  whole  system  of 
Temperance  Societies.  There  also  were  sug- 
gested the  Monthly  Concert  of  Prayer  for 
Missions,  and  the  Annual  Concert  of  Prayer  for 
Colleges.  And  it  was  as  a  fruit  of  their  efforts 
that  the  first  permanent  weekly  religious  paper 
was  established  in  America. 


i8o 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

As  to  the  part  which  John  Adams  played  at 
these  conferences  we  can  have  little  doubt. 
He  was  not  an  originator.  The  fresh  thought, 
the  initial  impulse  did  not  proceed  from  him. 
But  he  possessed  a  balanced  and  prudent  mind,  a 
sound  common  sense  and  a  sober  judgment, 
which  made  him  a  valuable  counsellor.  In  the 
words  of  one  of  his  colleagues  :  "He  seemed 
to  know  by  instinct  what  would  be  the  best  way 
of  doing  the  right  thing."  He  was  also  always 
ready  to  bear  his  part  in  whatever  active  service 
might  be  required  to  launch  a  new  enterprise. 

In  a  few  modest  words  John  Adams  tells  us 
of  his  share  in  the  founding  of  the  Tract  So- 
ciety. "  At  the  meetings  in  Dr.  Porter's  study 
the  necessity  of  a  wider  dissemination  of  relig- 
ious literature  was  often  discussed.  As  usual 
the  conclusion  was  reached  that  something 
practical  must  be  done  at  once.  The  work  was 
carefully  planned,  divided  and  assigned  to  dif- 
ferent individuals.  Some  were  to  collect  funds, 
some  to  select  and  prepare  the  proper  leaflets, 
some  to  contract  with  the  printers.  I  well  re- 
member how  we  started  in   different  directions 

i8i 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

with  our  subscription  papers.  Dr.  Woods 
went  to  Marblehead  and  I  to  Newburyport. 
We  were  both  successful  beyond  our  anticipa- 
tions. In  one  day  I  received  subscriptions  for 
more  than  one  hundred  dollars.  Ample  funds 
were  soon  provided,  and  we  commenced  our 
deposits  at  the  Hon.  S.  Armstrong's  book 
store  in  Boston  with  three  tons'  weight  of 
tracts." 

Of  the  origin  of  the  "  Boston  Recorder  "  he 
speaks  as  follows  : 

"  A  subject  which  was  forced  upon  our  at- 
tention was  the  desecration  of  the  Christian 
Sabbath  by  travellers,  teamsters  and  drovers. 
The  evil  was  great  and  constantly  increasing. 
The  people  of  the  Hill  were  annoyed  every 
Sabbath  on  their  way  to  and  from  church. 
Something  must  be  done  to  arrest  the  evil ;  but 
what?  We  looked  into  the  laws  of  Massachu- 
setts on  the  subject  of  the  Sabbath.  We  con- 
sulted civilians,  lawyers  and  clergymen.  It  was 
thought  best  to  call  a  convention  at  Topsfield. 
This  was  fully  attended  by  friends  of  the  Sab- 
bath.    It  was   concluded   that    the    laws   were 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

sufficient  if  they   could    be   executed.      Upon 
this   an   attempt  was   made  to  put  in  force  in 
Andover  the  laws  as  to  Sabbath  breakers.  The 
plan   succeeded  for   a   time  but  was  finally  ar- 
rested by  the  judgment  of  a  higher  court.    The 
sinners  had  obtained  a  triumph.      What  next  ? 
If  legal  force  could  not  be  applied  moral  force 
must.     Several    wise    and    exceptionally    well- 
written   articles   were   prepared   for  the   press  ; 
but  such  pieces  could  not  be  published  in  any 
of  the  newspapers  of  the  day.       '  If  it  be  so,  if 
it   has  come   to   this,'    said   Dr.   Porter,  '  it  is 
time   that  we   had  a   paper  that    will    publish 
them.'  "     This    emergency    gave    rise    to    the 
"  Boston  Recorder,"  the  first  religious  weekly 
permanently  established  in  the    United  States. 
The  cause  of  temperance  also   claimed  John 
Adams's   deepest  sympathy  and  interest.      He 
belonged   to   that   "  Association    of  Heads    of 
Families  for  the  Promotion   of  Temperance " 
which  was  the  earliest  organized  movement  in 
the  world  founded  on  the  pledge  of  total  absti- 
nence.     He  was  among  the  first  to  remove  the 
inevitable  decanter  from  his  sideboard  and  re- 

183 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

place  it  with  coffee.  When  his  daughter  Eliza- 
beth was  married  no  wine  was  served  to  the 
wedding  guests,  an  omission  which  was  consid- 
ered so  extraordinary  as  to  excite  public  com- 
ment. 

The  meetings  in  Dr.  Porter's  study  were 
closely  connected  with  the  early  history  of  mis- 
sions in  our  country.  The  first  missionaries, 
Judson,  Newell,  Mills  and  Nott,  were  stu- 
dents in  the  seminary.  Their  petition  for 
support  to  the  General  Association  of  Massa- 
chusetts was  framed  by  the  advice  of  their  pro- 
fessors who  sent  two  of  their  number  to  advo- 
cate it  before  the  meeting  at  Bradford. 

Those  were  the  days  when  the  missionary 
spirit  came  like  the  breath  of  God  upon  his 
people,  and  more  young  men  offered  them- 
selves for  the  field  than  could  possibly  be  sup- 
ported. At  Andover  the  enthusiasm  was  at 
white  heat.  Dr.  Woods,  out  of  a  salary  of 
1 1 ,500  gave  1 1,000  to  the  cause,  his  family 
gladly  joining  with  him  in  the  severe  economies 
which  such  generosity  necessitated.  Women 
cast  their  jewelry,  men    their    watches,    silver 

184 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

buckles,  and  pledges  on  land  and  cattle  into  the 
contribution  box.  The  children  went  without 
butter  and  sugar  for  weeks  at  a  time  in  order  to 
send  their  savings  to  the  perishing  heathen. 
Young  girls  saved  twenty-five  cents  here  and 
fifty  there  on  the  trimming  of  their  simple  gowns 
and  sold  their  modest  ornaments  for  a  few  dol- 
lars to  fill  the  coffers  of  the  Women's  Board. 

To  this  cause  John  Adams  was  a  constant 
contributor.  The  missionary  meetings  were 
eagerly  attended  by  himself  and  his  family. 
With  what  interest  they  watched  the  departure 
of  the  first  foreign  missionaries,  and  how  anx- 
iously they  waited  for  news  of  those  who  had 
gone  out  into  the  wilds  of  our  own  country,  we 
learn  from  many  letters.  But  the  best  mis- 
sionary service  which  Mr.  Adams  rendered  was 
in  training  workers  for  the  field.  Nothing 
which  he  said  in  the  meetings  compared  in  in- 
fluence with  the  long  line  of  young  men  who 
went  out  from  the  Academy  inspired  by  his 
enthusiasm,  and  drawing  strength  for  the 
labors  which  awaited  them  from  the  deep  sources 
which  fed  the  schoolmaster's  own  religious  life. 

185 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 

Little  did  John  Adams  think,  as  he  bade 
them  God  speed,  that  the  evening  of  his  own 
days  would  find  him  engaged  in  the  same  ardu- 
ous work  into  which  he  had  sent  forth  so  many 
young  and  ardent  volunteers. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CHANGING  SCENES 


*'  Though  marks  there  be  of  sorro^w  and  decay. 
Waste  no  regrets.     So  has  it  been  al'vjay ; 
God" s  messengers  come  oft  in  suits  of  grey 
His  choicest  blessings  bearing^ 


CHAPTER    VIII 

CHANGING  SCENES 
1831-1842 


IT  was  not  the  custom  in  the  good  old  New 
England  days  for  a  man  to  remain  long 
single.  Public  opinion  was  strongly  in 
favor  of  his  securing  a  second  helpmeet  as 
soon  after  the  removal  of  the  first  as  might  be 
possible  in  the  wise  ordering  of  Providence.  It 
was  not  strange,  therefore,  that  barely  two 
years  had  elapsed  since  the  death  of  his  deeply 
loved  wife,  when  it  was  borne  in  upon  the  mind 
of  John  Adams  that  the  time  had  come  for  him 
to  bring  another  mother  to  his  home.  Calling 
his  children  together,  he  asked  the  consent  of 
each  one  in  turn  to  so  important  an  undertak- 
ing.    All    readily   assented   until   his  daughter 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

Emily  was  questioned,  when  she  said,  "  I  have 
a  mother  in  heaven,  but  she  is  my  mother 
still."  Her  younger  sister,  Phoebe,  who  was 
always  called  Emily's  echo,  took  the  same  po- 
sition. "  I  feel  as  Emily  does."  This  settled 
the  question  for  Mr.  Adams.  "  I  shall  bring 
no  one  here,"  he  said,  "  to  fill  that  place  unless 
all  the  children  are  pleased."  What  followed 
may  be  given  in  Emily's  own  words  :  "  Sister 
and  I  were  delighted  with  what  we  had  accom- 
plished, and  felt  gratified  that  we  were  of  so 
much  importance.  Our  happiness  continued 
for  several  days.  But  then  a  little  misgiving 
crept  in,  and  one  night,  sitting  under  the  cherry 
tree,  my  sister  said,  '  Do  you  think  we  did 
right  ? '  I  answered,  '  It  does  seem  selfish.' 
*  Well,'  said  Phoebe,  '  you  tell  father  to  do  as 
he  pleases,  and  we  will  be  good.'  *  I  cannot 
talk,'  I  replied,  '  for  it  makes  me  cry  ;  but  I 
will  write  him  a  letter  and  you  shall  sign  it.' 
This  we  did.  The  little  note  written  by  us 
was  placed  by  father  among  his  private  papers, 
where  it  was  found  after  his  death." 

The  consent  of  his  family  having  thus  been 

190 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

obtained,  John  Adams  set  out  at  once  for 
Troy,  the  home  of  the  lady  of  his  choice. 
During  his  absence  prayer  was  offered  in  the 
Seminary  Chapel  for  his  preservation  upon  the 
long  and  arduous  journey  !  On  August  30, 
1 83 1,  he  married  Mrs.  Mabel  Burritt,  the 
widow  of  Mr.  Ely  Burritt  of  Troy,  and 
brought  her  back  with  him  to  the  old  home 
at  Andover,  where  the  children  received  her 
with  a  dutiful  welcome. 

The   fall   of    1832    was    destined    to    be   an 
eventful  one  in  the   family  history.      Principal 
Adams   had   been    heard   to   say  that   no  man 
ought   to   teach   after   he  was  sixty  years   old. 
Time  had  stolen  a  march  upon  him,  and  now 
his  own  sixtieth  birthday  was  but  a  few  months 
distant.     Without   doubt,  the   time   was  come 
for  him  to  put    his   precept  into  practice  ;  and, 
should  his  purpose  falter,  there  were  not  want- 
ing outside   influences  to  spur  him   to  action. 
It  was  a  bitter  hour  for  the   proud  and  faithful 
old  teacher  when  he  realized  that  the  new  mem- 
bers of  the  Board   of  Trustees  wished  to  place 
a  younger   man   at  the   head  of  affairs  in  the 

191 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

Academy.  But  the  discipline  of  a  lifetime 
now  stood  him  in  good  stead.  No  sooner  had 
he  grasped  the  situation  than  his  course  was 
clear.  There  was  not  a  moment's  hesitation. 
To  his  son  William  he  wrote  as  follows  : 

"Phillips  Academy,  Oct.  i,  1832. 
"  Your  very  kind  and  affectionate  letter  was 
received  on  Saturday  and  read  with  deep  inter- 
est. I  know  that  you  and  all  my  dear  chil- 
dren will  sympathize  with  me  in  my  present 
circumstances.  You  are  mistaken  in  supposing 
that  I  wish  to  continue  in  the  Academy.  The 
fact  is  that  1  cannot  continue.  I  must  resign 
my  office  as  Principal,  not  because  I  think 
myself  too  aged,  but  because  it  is  expedient. 
If  the  Trustees,  or  any  of  their  number  feel 
that  the  best  interest  of  the  Academy  will  be 
promoted  by  the  introduction  of  a  younger 
man,  how  can  I  make  up  my  mind  to  remain  ? 
I  expect  to  tender  my  resignation  as  soon 
as  the  Trustees  meet,  which  will  probably 
be  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks.  I  hope 
they  will  accept  it  without    delay,  for  I   can- 

192 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

not  bear  suspense.  I  know  not  what 
course  to  take,  or  how  it  will  be  possible  for 
me  to  keep  my  family  together.  But  God 
reigns.  This  is  my  consolation.  He  has 
cared  for  me  and  mine  thus  far,  blessed  be  his 
name,  and  I  can  trust  him  for  the  time  to 
come.  '  I  have  been  young,  and  now  am  old  ; 
yet  have  I  not  seen  the  righteous  forsaken 
nor  his  seed  begging  bread.'  'Trust  in  the 
Lord  and  do  good,  so  shalt  thou  dwell  in  the 
land  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed.'  'All  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
God.'  Precious  promises  !  I  am  full  of  solic- 
itude and  anxious  thought,  but  I  am  not  de- 
stroyed. The  Lord  will  provide.  We  feel 
very  anxious  about  Abby.  She  was  all  resolu- 
tion and  animation.  She  wrote  to  Boston  and 
then  to  Hartford  seeking  a  situation  as  a 
teacher,  but  her  plans  were  frustrated  as  no 
opening  presented  itself.  Last  week  she  was 
taken  with  bleeding  at  the  lungs,  and  this  has 
continued  more  or  less  ever  since.  But  we 
believe  that  she  has  a  God  and  a  merciful 
Saviour,  and  all  will  be  well. 

193 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

"  I  wish  you  not  to  be  over  anxious  on  my 
account,  but  to  go  on  with  your  work,  study 
hard,  and  rise  higher  and  higher  as  an  able, 
learned,  eloquent  and  pious  minister  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Be  a  revival  man,  and  do 
your  work  faithfully  while  you  are  young  and 
are  permitted  to  labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 
Remember  that  you  can  pass  through  life  but 
once. 

"All  unite  with  me  in  love  to  you  and  to 
your  dear  wife.      In  great  haste, 

"  Your  affectionate  father, 

"John  Adams." 

The  Board  of  Trustees  soon  received  a  noti- 
fication that  Principal  Adams  desired  to  be 
released  from  "  the  duties,  honors  and  emolu- 
ments of  his  office."  A  meeting  was  held  in 
Boston  to  take  action  upon  this  letter.  Mr. 
Adams  appeared  before  it  and  in  a  calm  voice 
read  his  words  of  resignation,  then,  bowing 
silently,  left  the  room.  One  of  the  Trustees 
hastened  after  to  offer  him  hospitality  for  the 
night,  but  his  well-meant  offer  was  respectfully 

194 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 


declined.      Mr.  Adams   returned   to   the  hotel, 
"to  bed,  but  not  to  sleep." 

The  letter  of  resignation,  which  can  scarcely 
have  been  heard  without  emotion  by  the  older 
members  of  the  Board,  ran  as  follows  : 

"November  22,  1832. 

"To  THE  Honorable  and  Reverend  Trus- 
tees OF   Phillips  Academy. 

"  Gentlemen  : 

"  I  began  the  business  of  instruction  in  my 
native  town,  Canterbury,  Connecticut,  in  the 
fall  of  1795.  I  was  invited  to  Plainfield 
Academy,  Connecticut,  in  the  year  1800,  and, 
in  the  year  1803,  I  was  chosen  Preceptor  of 
Bacon  Academy,  Colchester,  Connecticut.  Dur- 
ing this  period  of  about  fifteen  years  I  had 
under  my  care  and  instruction  about  two 
thousand  pupils,  many  of  whom  are  now 
holding  important  offices  both  in  Church  and 
State.  With  this  experience,  and  in  the 
thirty-eighth  year  of  my  age,  I  commenced 
the  duties  of  my  office  in  this  Academy  on 
the  6th  day  of  June,  18 10.      My  feelings  have 

195 


THE    STORY    OF     JOHN    ADAMS 

always  been  opposed  to  anything  ostenta- 
tious. Of  choice  I  went  alone,  without  any  of 
the  ceremonies  usual  on  such  occasions,  unac- 
companied bv  any  of  the  trustees,  a  stranger  to 
all  around  me.  Yet  I  did  it  with  a  full  deter- 
mination to  devote  myself  entirely  and  exclu- 
sively to  the  responsible  work  before  me, 
hoping  and  praying  that  with  the  blessing  of 
God  I  might  conduct  the  school  in  all  respects 
according  to  the  intention  and  wishes  of  the 
pious  founders.  Looking  back'  upon  the  pe- 
riod of  more  than  twenty-two  years,  I  can  say 
honestly  and  truly  that  I  have  been  devoted 
heartily  and  exclusively  to  what  I  consider  the 
best  good  of  my  pupils.  Although  I  have 
neglected  my  own  pecuniary  interest  I  have 
not  neglected  them.  Although  I  have  not 
been  writing,  compiling  and  publishing  books 
to  bring  myself  into  public  notice,  or  engaged 
in  any  money-making  business  by  which  to  lay 
up  a  fund  for  the  support  of  old  age,  yet,  by 
laboring  incessantly  in  my  appropriate  duties, 
and  by  sacrificing  every  selfish  and  persona 
consideration,    I   have    secured  that     which    is 

196 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

of  more  value  than  money — an  approving  con- 
science. 

"  I  have  always  considered  punctuality  as  an 
important  duty  and  have  very  seldom  been  ab- 
sent or  tardy  on  any  occasion.  I  have  never 
asked  for  any  dispensation  or  leave  of  ab- 
sence during  the  whole  period  except  in  that 
single  instance  which  is  still  fresh  in  the  memory 
of  vou  all. 

"  I  have  always  been  blessed  with  good  health  ; 
and  for  the  last  five  years  I  have  not  been  ab- 
sent from  school  a  day  or  even  half  an  hour  on 
account  of  sickness  or  any  kind  of  indisposi- 
tion. I  have  never  in  a  single  instance  troubled 
the  trustees  with  any  case  of  discipline  arising 
in  the  Academy.  Although  I  am  now  putting 
off  the  harness,  and  boasting  does  not  become 
me,  yet  you  will  permit  me  to  name  a  few  facts. 
After  Mr.  Newman  left  the  Academy  the  num- 
ber of  scholars  became  small.  I  commenced 
with  only  twenty-three  pupils  and  with  one 
assistant,  and,  as  no  notice  was  given  iu  the 
public  papers  that  the  Academy  was  again  or- 
ganized, I  closed  my  first  year  with  only  thirty- 

197 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

three.  For  about  three  years  the  number  in- 
creased gradually  to  sixty,  when  the  Academy  was 
considered  full.  The  trustees,  however,  voted 
that  I  might  admit  more  ;  and  that  when  the 
number  should  amount  to  seventy-five  they 
would  allow  me  another  assistant,  which  was 
done — and  when  it  should  amount  to  one  hun- 
dred they  would  allow  me  a  third.  This  also 
was  done  for  several  years  in  succession,  from 
the  year  1817  to  1824  inclusive. 

"  I  leave  the  Academy  in  a  prosperous  con- 
dition, containing,  according  to  our  last  cata- 
logue, ninety  scholars,  all  of  whom  are  pursu- 
ing classical  studies. 

"  I  have  admitted  into  the  Academy  one 
thousand  one  hundred  and  nineteen  pupils. 
About  one-half  of  this  number  have  received  a 
collegiate  education.  What  has  been  the 
moral  and  intellectual  stand  taken  by  my  pu- 
pils in  the  colleges  of  New  England  needs  no 
comment  from  me.  During  their  stay  at  the 
Academy  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  be- 
came hopefully  pious.  About  two  hundred, 
or  nearly  one  in  every  five,  have  entered  the 

198 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

ministry,  and  many  have  given  themselves  to 
the  sacred  cause  of  missions. 

"  I  have  loved  my  work  and  have  devoted 
to  it  my  all.  How  far  I  have  been  successful  is 
left  to  the  judgment  of  others.  But,  although 
my  attachment  to  this  school  is  strong,  and  the 
idea  of  a  separation  from  it  is  painful  to  me, 
yet  the  time  has  come  when  I  judge  it  expedi- 
ent to  resign. 

"  And  I  do  hereby  resign  my  office  as  Prin- 
cipal of  Phillips  Academy. 

"  I  do  this  with  feelings  which  you,  Breth- 
ren, could  more  easily  conceive  of  if  you  were 
placed  precisely  in  my  circumstances. 

"  With  a  heart  too  full  for  utterance,  permit 
me,  in  taking  leave  of  you,  to  render  you  my 
most  cordial  thanks  for  the  many  expressions 
of  your  friendship,  kindness  and  Christian 
sympathy. 

"  Having  entire  confidence  in  the  Board, 
and  very  great  respect  and  affection  for  every 
individual  member  of  it,  I  hope  you  will  be 
disposed  to  cast  over  my  many  imperfections 
and    defective    services    the    mantle     of    love, 

'99 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

and  that  I  may  pass  through  the  remnant  of 
my  days  with  this  assurance,  that  I  still  enjoy 
your  sympathy  and  your  prayers. 

"  John  Adams." 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Adams  received 
from  the  Board  the  following  minute  of  their 
proceedings  : 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees  of  Phillips 
Academy,  November  22,  1832,  the  communi- 
cation of  Mr.  Adams  having  been  read,  it  was 

"  Voted  :  That,  in  consideration  of  the  long 
and  devoted  services  of  Mr.  Adams  as  Princi- 
pal of  Phillips  Academy  and  as  an  additional 
compensation  for  those  services,  he  have  the  oc- 
cupancy of  the  house  in  which  he  now  lives 
free  of  rent  till  the  close  of  the  present  aca- 
demic year,  in  August  next,  and  that  the  Treas- 
urer pay  him  the  sum  of  eight  hundred  dollars 
in  quarterly  payments,  reckoning  from  this 
date. 

"  Voted  :  That  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Adams 
be  accepted. 

"Voted:  That,  in   case    Mr.  Adams  should 


200 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

choose  not  to  continue  the  occupancy  of  the 
house  in  which  he  now  lives  till  August  next, 
an  equivalent  be  paid  him  by  the  Treasurer  at 
the  rate  of  two  hundred  dollars  a  year. 

"  Voted :  That  this  Board  entertain  a  high 
sense  of  the  value  of  the  services  of  Mr.  Ad- 
ams during  his  connection  with  them  as  Prin- 
cipal of  Phillips  Academy,  and  assure  him  of 
their  affectionate  confidence  and  their  deep  in- 
terest in  his  future  usefulness  and  happiness, 
and  as  a  testimony  of  their  high  respect  for 
Mr.  Adams  and  satisfaction  in  the  character 
and  results  of  his  labors,  and  with  a  view  to 
the  benefit  of  those  who  shall  succeed  him,  the 
Clerk  be  directed  to  enter  in  full  his  communi- 
cation this  day  made  on  the  Records,  of  the 
Board. 

"  A  true  copy  of  Record. 

"Attest  M.Newman, 

"  Clerk." 

These  kindly  words  no  doubt  had  their 
value  to  John  Adams,  but  no  balm  could  heal 
the  wound  which  he  had  received  or  make  the 

20 1 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 

wrench  of  parting  anything  but  painful.  His 
was  a  nature  which  struck  its  roots  deep  in  fa- 
miliar soil.  It  could  only  be  dislodged  at  the 
cost  of  great  suffering. 

The  sorrow  of  his  heart  finds  expression  in 
the  broken  entries  in  his  diary  for  1832  : 

Nov.  26,  1832. 

This  day  closes  the  Fall  Term.  At  the  end 
of  the  examinations  I  took  leave  of  my  pupils. 
Who  can  describe  my  feelings  on  that  occasion  ! 
I  attempted  to  commend  them  to  that  God 
who  has  so  often  smiled  upon  the  Academy  in 
past  seasons.  This  evening  I  find  myself  with- 
out employment,  without  income.  Lord,  what 
wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ? 

"  Trust  in  the  Lord  and  do  good,  so  shalt 
thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and  verily  thou  shalt 
be  fed."  Lord  Jesus,  I  take  thee  at  thy  word. 
The  Trustees  have  requested  Mr.  Osgood 
Johnson,  my  assistant,  to  take  charge  of  the 
Academy  till  the  close  of  the  present  academic 
year,  in  August  next.  May  the  Lord  sustain 
him  and  give  him  health  and  strength,  wisdom 


20Z 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

and  grace,  and  use  him  as  an  instrument  of  far 
greater  good  to  the  Academy  than  his  prede- 
cessor. 

Nov.  27. 
This  day  set  apart  for  humiliation,  self-ex- 
amination, fasting  and  prayer.  I  was  reading 
and  meditating  on  the  14th  Chap,  of  St.  John's 
Gospel,  when  I  was  interrupted  by  a  call  from 
Mr.  Johnson,  who  came  to  ask  for  advice. 
Had  a  pleasant  interview,  gave  him  my  counsel 
in  relation  to  the  school. 

Nov.  29.     Thanksgiving. 
Was  greatly  depressed  in  relation  to  my  own 
soul  and  on  account  of  my  family.      Lord,  what 
wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ? 

Nov.  30. 
Several   of  my  children    came    to   visit    us. 
My  solicitude,  I  fear,  was  the  cause  of  anxiety 
to  them. 

Dec.  I,  Saturday. 
I  was   greatly   depressed.      Lord  Jesus,  for- 

203 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

sake  me  not,  now  when  I  am  old  and  rapidly 
approaching  that  period  when  I  must  quit  all 
earthly  scenes. 

Dec.  2,  Sabbath. 
Very  cold  and  dull ;  oh,  my  hard  and  un- 
grateful heart !   Lord  Jesus,  wilt  thou  soften  it ! 

Dec.  3,  Monday. 
Had   some  consolation  in   dwelling  on  this 
truth:  "The  Lord  God  Omnipotent  reigneth." 
He  will  not   forsake   me  if  I   cleave  to   him  ! 
Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ? 

Dec.  4,  Tuesday. 
Went  to  Boston  to  see  friends  and  inquire 
of  them  what  course  I  should  take,  how  I  could 
be  useful  and  procure  my  daily  bread.  Found 
friends  kind  to  me  and  some  prepared  to  give 
advice.  It  does  seem  that  I  have  done  my 
work,  that  there  is  nothing  more  for  me  to  do 
but  to  set  my  house  in  order  and  prepare  for 
my  own  approaching  dissolution. 


204 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

Dec.  7,  Friday. 
Returned  home  almost  discouraged. 

Dec.  8,  Saturday. 
Rainy,  depressed,  unhappy.     Oh  Lord,  have 
mercy  on  me  and  deliver  me  from  all  sin,  and 
give  me  perfect  resignation  to  thy  holy  will ! 

Dec.  9,  Sabbath. 
Mr.    Stuart    preached    all     day.     Troubled 
much    with     wandering     thoughts.     Had    but 
little  enjoyment. 

Dec.  10,  Monday. 
My  children,  I  am  informed,  have  agreed  to 
observe  this  day  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer 
on  my  account.  Oh  may  the  Lord  Jesus  help 
them  all  and  hear  their  supplications  in  my 
behalf. 

Dec.  28. 

Am  still  anxious  ;  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have 
me  to  do  ?     I   commit  my  all  to   thee,  oh  my 

Saviour  ! 

205 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

March  28,  1833. 
Had  a  vendue  at  my  house,  a  day  of  severe 
trial.      It  seemed  like  breaking  up  the  family. 
May  the  Lord  direct  and  bless. 

The  kindly  professors  of  the  Seminary  were 
not  slow  in  providing  their  distressed  friend 
with  the  most  sincere  and  ample  letters  of  rec- 
ommendation. 

Dr.  Woods  wrote : 

"  April  22,  1833. 
"  Mr.  John  Adams,  the  bearer,  has,  for  more 
than  twenty-two  years,  been  the  Principal  of 
Phillips  Academy  in  Andover.  The  reputation 
and  usefulness  of  that  flourishing  institution 
during  the  above-mentioned  period  has  been 
chiefly  owing,  under  God,  to  his  able  and  faith- 
ful instructions.  For  what  he  has  done  in  the 
education  of  my  sons  I  feel  myself  under  obli- 
gations to  him  which  I  can  never  discharge. 
His  character  as  a  Christian  and  as  an  officer  in 
our  church,  and  in  all  the  relations  he  has  here 
sustained,  has   been   uniform    and   exemplary, 

205 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

and  has  secured  to  him  the  cordial  affection 
and  confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  has 
been  connected. 

"  I  regard  Mr.  Adams  as  possessing  distin- 
guished quahfications  for  the  instruction  of 
youth,  an  employment  in  which  he  has  been 
long  and  successfully  engaged.  In  my  opinion, 
he  is  competent  to  any  branch  of  instruction 
which  he  can  be  induced  to  undertake.  But  I 
think  him  specially  qualified  to  superintend  and 
guide  the  education  of  those  who  are  preparing 
to  be  teachers  of  youth. 

"  He  leaves  this  place  with  the  sincerest 
esteem  and  affection  of  my  heart,  and  with 
mv  earnest  prayers  that  his  life  and  health 
may  be  continued,  and  that  for  many  years 
to  come  he  may  be,  as  he  has  been,  emi- 
nently useful  to  the  cause  of  learning  and 
religion. 

"  Most  heartily  do  I  commend  him,  and  his 
beloved  wife  and  children,  to  the  care  and 
blessing  of  Almighty  God. 

"Leonard  Woods. 

"  Theological  Seminary,  Andover." 

207 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

Professor  Stuart  wrote  : 

"  Andover  Theological  Seminary, 
"24  April,  1833. 
"  The  bearer  of  this,  Mr.  John  Adams,  has 
for  these  last  twenty- two  years  and  upwards 
been  Principal  of  Phillips  Academy  in  this 
place,  and  lived  in  my  near  neighborhood,  and 
within  the  circle  of  those  with  whom  I  have 
been  accustomed  to  have  daily  and  familiar  in- 
tercourse. It  has  never  fallen  to  my  lot  to  be 
acquainted  with  a  more  assiduous,  indefatiga- 
ble, faithful,  conscientious  and  successful  teacher 
of  youth.  As  a  man,  as  a  Christian,  and  as  a 
neighbor  and  citizen,  Mr.  Adams  has  sustained 
an  excellent  character,  and  one  worthy  of  the 
highest  confidence  and  approbation.  .  .  .  He 
goes  out  with  the  confidence  and  entire  good- 
will of  all  the  Trustees  and  friends  of  this  Semin- 
ary, so  far  as  I  know ;  and  certainly  with  my 
deep  regret  at  his  departure  from  this  place.  Be- 
ing blessed  by  a  kind  Providence  with  health  far 
more  vigorous  than  he  could  have  anticipated, 
at  an  earlier  period,  would  follow  labors  so  pro- 
tracted and  severe  as  his,  he  is  still  willing  and 

ao8 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

desirous  to  be  employed  wherever  his  lot  may 
be  cast,  in  training  up  young  men  in  the  first 
part  of  their  preparatory  studies  for  the  ministry. 

"As  qualified  in  an  eminent  manner  to  direct 
these  studies  I  do  most  heartily  recommend 
him.  I  see  no  reason  why  he  may  not  be  em- 
inently useful  in  this  way  for  these  ten  years  to 
come,  and  perhaps  even  more.  To  all  the 
friends  of  piety,  virtue,  and  education,  I  would 
commend  him,  assuring  them  that  he  has  shown 
himself  to  be  worthy  of  their  confidence,  their 
affection,  and  their  sincere  esteem,  and  that 
they  will  not  be  disappointed  in  committing  to 
him  any  important  trust  as  to  the  preparatory 
branches  of  education.  In  a  peculiar  manner. 
Christians  and  my  brethren  in  the  ministry 
will  find  in  him  an  excellent  auxiliary  in  the 
great  cause  in  which  they  are  engaged  in  rela- 
tion to  the  object  of  educating  pious  youth. 

"  This  testimony  is  given  unsolicited  and  as 
the  free-will  offering  of  my  own  conviction  and 
feelings. 

"  Moses  Stuart, 
"  Professor  of  Sacred  Literature  in  the 
"  Theological  Seminary  at  Andover." 
209 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

The  autobiographical  fragment  already  re- 
ferred to  gives  further  details  of  this  trying 
period. 

"  For  several  months,"  writes  Mr.  Adams, 
"  I  had  trials  every  day  which  were  almost  too 
much  for  me  to  bear ;  I  was  all  but  unmanned, 
yet  not  wholly  in  despair.  For  the  first  time 
in  my  life,  I  began  to  make  inquiries  for  em- 
ployment. I  visited  Boston,  Salem,  and  sev- 
eral other  places  seeking  for  a  school,  that  be- 
ing the  employment  for  which  I  was  fitted,  but 
in  answer  to  all  these  inquiries  I  could  find  no 
encouragement  and  little  sympathy.  Wher- 
ever I  went  the  natural  question  arose,  *  Why 
did  he  leave  Phillips  Academy?  If  he  is  fit 
to  teach  a  school,  why  in  the  world  did  they 
not  retain  him  where  he  had  obtained  so  wide 
a  reputation  ? '  Such  questions  and  insinuations 
would  meet  me  in  every  place  and  no  satisfac- 
tory reason  could  be  given.  I  could  only  say 
that  I  had  thought  it  best  to  leave. 

"In  the  spring  of  1833  I  resolved  that  I 
must   take  more   active  steps  toward  earning  a 


210 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 


living.  Surely  in  the  wide  world,  thought  I, 
there  must  be  some  place  where  I  can  be  use- 
ful and  find  a  home.  Accordingly,  after  selling 
my  furniture  at  auction,  I  broke  up  housekeep- 
ing. My  daughters  Emily  and  Phoebe  were 
sent  to  Ipswich  Female  Seminary,  then  under 
the  care  of  Miss  Grant  and  Mary  Lyon,  and 
my  wife  rejoined  her  relatives  in  Troy,  while  I 
traveled  from  place  to  place  in  Western  New 
York.  This  was  a  season  of  severe  trial.  I 
traveled  for  several  weeks  seeking  some  place 
where  I  might  be  useful  and  collect  my  family. 
More  than  one  situation  was  offered  me,  but 
always  with  conditions  which  I  could  not  ac- 
cept because  of  my  scanty  funds." 

Of  the  daughters'  share  of  the  family  trials, 
Emily  writes  as  follows: 

"  We  were  sent  to  Ipswich,  a  large  school, 
and  lived  in  a  crowded  boarding-house.  Soon 
my  sister  Phoebe  was  taken  ill  and  grew  rapidly 
worse.  I  nursed  her  day  and  night  and  be- 
came convinced   that   where  she  then  was  she 

ZI  I 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

could  never  become  better.  I  went  to  Miss 
Grant  and  asked  permission  to  remove  her  to 
the  house  of  our  sister,  Mrs.  Cowles,  in  Dan- 
vers.  She  said  decidedly,  '  Your  father  has 
placed  you  under  my  care  ;  I  cannot  give  per- 
mission.' I  went  immediately  to  the  public 
house,  engaged  seats  on  the  stage,  returned  to 
our  rooms,  paid  the  bill,  packed,  and  dressed 
my  sister.  When  the  stage  arrived,  I  lifted  her 
in  and  took  her  in  my  arms.  We  reached  Sa- 
lem, where  I  took  a  hack  for  Danvers.  When 
we  arrived  I  found  my  sister's  house  closed. 
Going  to  the  next  house  in  the  block  I  ob- 
tained permission  to  enter  the  cellar,  and  thus 
gained  admission  to  the  house.  As  I  helped 
my  sister  to  undress  she  fainted  in  my  arms 
and  we  both  fell  to  the  floor.  Hastily  extrica- 
ting myself,  I  placed  her  on  the  bed  and  ran 
for  a  physician.  What  a  rough  world  this  is, 
thought  I,  full  of  thorns  and  briars.  When 
morning  dawned  a  policeman  arrived  and 
wished  to  see  me.  '  Are  you  the  young  girl 
who  came  in  the  stage  holding  a  sick  friend  .? ' 
'  Yes,   sir.'     '  Do  you   know    what   you    have 


212 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

done  ? '  '  Nothing  wrong,  I  hope.'  '  You 
have  passed  counterfeit  money,  and  may  be  ar- 
rested.' My  heart  was  beating  rapidly,  but  I 
would  not  let  him  know  it.  He  continued  : 
'  Did  you  pass  a  twenty-dollar  bill?  '  '  I  did.' 
'  Where  did  you  get  it  ?  '  'I  received  it  from 
my  landlady  after  paying  my  board  bill.'  '  Will 
you  write  to  her  in  my  presence  ?  '  *  Yes,  sir, 
I  will.'  Seeing  my  apparent  coolness  and  will- 
ingness to  obey,  he  relaxed  his  austere  manner. 
I  wrote  and  received  a  good  bill ;  but  in  the 
meantime  my  mind  was  sorely  troubled.  Am 
I  to  go  through  life  in  this  way,  I  asked  my- 
self? I  had  run  away  from  school  and  passed 
a  counterfeit  bill.  What  would  come  next  ? 
But  I  wore  a  cheerful  look  and  attended  to 
Phoebe  as  if  nothing  were  amiss.  When  Mrs. 
Cowles  returned  after  a  few  days,  my  most 
pressing  troubles  were  at  an  end." 

But  relief  came  at  last  to  the  distressed  family. 
We  continue  the  story  in  John  Adams's  own 
words.  "  At  length  I  met  with  encouragement 
at  Elbridge,  New  York.     Mr.  Nathan  Monroe, 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

a  wealthy  gentleman  of  that  place,  whose  son 
had  studied  under  me  at  Andover,  offered  to 
build  an  Academy  for  my  use,  rent  free,  and  to 
interest  others  who  would  see  that  I  was  pro- 
vided with  a  suitable  dwelling  house.  Their  pro- 
posals were  accepted,  and  with  my  wife  and 
family  I  went  to  Elbridge,  in  September,  1833. 
"In  many  respects  we  found  ourselves  pleas- 
antly situated.  The  Academy  prospered  and 
was  soon  over-run  with  scholars.  But  there 
remained  one  insurmountable  difficulty.  The 
school  embraced  both  sexes,  and  my  daughters, 
who  were  my  assistants,  preferred  to  teach  in  a 
female  academy.  After  about  three  years, 
therefore,  I  decided  to  resign  my  situation.  I 
did  this  against  the  wishes  of  the  Trustees  who 
earnestly  desired  me  to  remain.  After  my  de- 
parture the  Academy  was  handsomely  endowed 
by  Mr.  Monroe,  and  still  continues  to  be  a 
means  of  much  good  to  the  town  of  Elbridge." 

During  the  stay  at  Elbridge,  as  afterwards 
through  all  their  gloomy  experience  of  pioneer 
life   in  the   West,   the   two   sisters,  Emily  and 

214 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

Phoebe,  stood  loyally  by  their  distressed  father, 
putting  their  shoulders  under  the  load,  that  his 
burden  might  as  far  as  possible  be  eased.  Sor- 
row could  not  drown  the  lively  disposition  of 
the  elder.  When  teaching  at  Elbridge,  the 
sisters  once  called  upon  their  pastor  and  found 
him  discussing  with  a  friend  the  different 
schools  of  theology  and  especially  that  of  An- 
dover.  "  I  can  hardly  think,"  said  the  latter, 
"  that  a  true  conversion  ever  took  place  upon 
Andover  Hill."  As  the  young  ladies  prepared 
to  leave,  this  gentleman  felt  it  his  duty  to  speak 
to  them  about  their  personal  salvation.  Ap- 
proaching Emily,  he  inquired,  "  Are  you  a 
Christian .?  "  "  Of  course  not.  Sir."  "  Why 
not  ?"  "  I  was  born  and  brought  up  on  Andover 
Hill.     Good  night,  sir." 

"  After  my  resignation  from  Monroe  Acad- 
emy," continues  the  father's  narrative,  "I  visited 
Ohio,  where  my  three  sisters  were  living,  and 
Jerseyville,  Illinois,  where  lived  Dr.  A.  H. 
Burritt,  a  relative  of  my  wife.  As  a  result  of 
these  visits,  I   determined   to  remove   with  my 

ai5 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 

family  to  the  West,  but  was  not  able  to  decide 
upon  the  exact  location.     With  bag  and  bag- 
gage we  left   Elbridge   on  the   5th  of  October, 
1836,  via  Cleveland  and  the  Ohio   River,  and 
reached  Jerseyville  on  the  first  of  November. 
I  expected  that  Dr.  Burritt  would  have  secured 
a  house  for  us,  as  I  had  asked  him  to  do,  or  at 
least  a  place  where  we  could  board  for  a  short 
time.      But  he  had  done  neither.     He  himself 
lived  in  a  log  house  containing  only  one  room. 
We  had  to  do  the  best  we  could,  finding  lodg- 
ing here  and  there  with  the  neighbors.      It  was 
a  hard  blow  to  the  girls  and  caused  them  some 
tears.     '  What  in  the  world  induced  Father  to 
come   to   such   a   horrid   place  ? '     Amid   these 
primitive   surroundings    we    spent  the  winter. 
I  purchased  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
a  small  house  with  two  rooms  but  no  chamber, 
and  had  it  moved  and  fitted  up  as  soon  as  it 
could   be    done.     During    the   winter,   Phoebe 
and  I  taught  school  in  the  school-house  a  few 
rods  from  our  dwelling.     The  seats  were  made 
of  rails  and  slabs.     But  in   spite  of  all  incon- 
veniences we  had  a  good  school  of  more  than 

216 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

fifty  scholars.  As  there  was  no  regular  minis- 
ter I  was  asked  to  take  the  services  on  the 
Sabbath,  the  school-house,  which  was  the  only 
place  of  meeting,  serving  as  the  church.  Dur- 
ing the  winter  five  of  my  pupils  died.  Their 
coffins  were  brought  into  the  school-house  and 
I  conducted  the  funeral  services." 

Emily  gives  us   a  more   detailed   account  of 
the  removal  of  the  family. 

"  In  a  good  old  book,"  she  writes,  "we  read 
of  a  river  on  whose  banks  were  witnessed 
scenes  of  thrilling  interest,  and  whose  waters 
were  potent  for  the  purifying  and  cleansing  of 
disease.  Notwithstanding  its  sacred  associa- 
tions, however,  the  name  of  Jordan  is  never 
mentioned  but  an  indescribable  chill  runs 
through  my  every  nerve.  I  seem  to  see  again 
a  canal  boat  loaded  with  furniture,  starting  from 
the  town  of  Jordan,  on  the  Erie  Canal,  and 
carrying  far  from  home,  friends  and  comforts  a 
family  from  New  England,  five  in  number,  of 
whom  I  was  one.  The  younger  members  of 
the  party,  a  step-brother,  Phoebe   and  myself, 

217 


THE    STORY    OF     JOHN    ADAMS 

were  not  very  jubilant  on  that  eventful  day. 
The  sky  had  no  roseate  hues,  the  future  seemed 
dark  and  dreary,  and  it  was  not  easy  to  submit 
to  the  higher  powers  with  even  an  appearance 
of  cheerfulness.  The  first  night  out,  father, 
seeing  such  disconsolate  faces  about  him,  began 
to  repeat  proverbs.  He  had  not,  perhaps,  as 
many  as  Solomon,  but  enough  for  all  practical 
purposes.  '  Possess  your  soul  in  patience.' 
*  Content  yourselves.'  '  Conform  to  circum- 
stances.' But  we  were  homesick,  a  sickness 
which  cannot  be  described  but  must  be  experi- 
enced. No  word  in  the  English  language  is  a 
synonym  for  homesickness  unless  it  be  despair. 
The  heavens  above  and  the  earth  beneath  were 
covered  with  a  darkness  which  could  be  felt. 
We  were  leaving  home  and  friends,  going 
where  ?  For  what  purpose  ?  What  good  would 
it  all  do  ?  And  what  could  we  expect  to  find 
in  that  far-off  country  ?  At  nine  o'clock  we  all 
laid  down  to  rest  on  our  little  shelves,  never 
dreaming  of  danger,  when  some  machinery  gave 
way  and  a  weight  of  full  1 80  pounds  came 
down  upon  us.     A  general  commotion  ensued, 

218 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

and  after  some  effort  we  were  extricated  with 
life  not  quite  extinct.  By  day  we  lay  on  the  top 
of  the  boat,  prostrating  ourselves  as  we  went 
under  bridges,  which  occurred  very  often,  read- 
ing, singing  and  thinking.  One  of  the  hymns 
we  sang  was  this  : 

'  Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  flood 

Stand  dressed  in  living  green. 
So  to  the  yews  fair  Canaan  stood^ 

While  Jordan  rolled  between.'' 

"  The  hardships  and  trials  of  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers  rose  up  before  us,  and  sank  into  insig- 
nificance when  we  thought  of  our  own  trials. 
Good  old  Father  Abraham  comforted  us  not  a 
little,  for  he  went  out  from  house  and  kindred 
not  knowing  whither  he  should  go,  but  with 
faith  in  the  unseen  hand  which  was  guiding  him. 
With  like  faith  we  trusted  and  journeyed  to  the 
Promised  Land. 

"  On  we  traveled,  entering  locks  beneath  the 
earth  and  rising  to  the  surface  with  bumps  and 
thumps  as  the  water  flowed  in.  On  the  sixth 
day  we  reached  Buffalo,  and  on  the  seventh  we 

ai9 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

rested.  On  Monday  we  took  passage  on  the 
*  Sandusky '  for  Cleveland,  which  transit  occu- 
pied twenty-four  hours.  The  Lake  was  rough 
and  stormy.  At  Cleveland  we  again  entered  a 
canal  boat  for  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  to  reach 
which  point  it  was  necessary  to  crawl  along  the 
whole  length  of  the  Ohio  Canal.  We  often 
thought  that  a  storm  on  the  Lake,  a  fire  at  sea, 
or  an  earthquake  on  dry  land  would  be  prefer- 
able to  the  dull  monotony  of  a  canal  boat. 
The  second  morning,  as  there  were  twenty  locks 
to  pass  through,  we  decided  to  walk.  After 
extending  our  walk  for  two  miles  we  entered  a 
hotel  to  rest  and  then  decided  to  walk  back  and 
meet  the  boat.  Two  weeks  passed  thus  before 
we  reached  Portsmouth.  Here  we  waited  for  a 
boat  on  the  Ohio  River,  and  on  Wednesday 
took  passage  on  the  '  Rufus  Putnam.'  The 
first  night  the  boat  ran  aground  and  lost  both 
chimneys,  and  the  night  was  spent  in  finding 
them.  Saturday  morning  we  reached  Louis- 
ville. We  then  went  on  board  a  boat  bound 
for  St.  Loviis.  There  we  took  another  boat  for 
Alton.     From   Alton  we   traveled  by  land  to 


220 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

Jerseyville.  During  this  trip  we  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  passing  through  what  the  Yankees  call 
'  sloughs  'and  the  Westerns  '  slews.'  As  there 
were  no  bridges  over  the  small  streams  we 
would  descend  into  the  '  slews,'  no  matter  how 
deep,  horses,  wagons,  chairs  and  people,  all  in 
one  heap ;  so  we  would  remain  until  we  as- 
cended when  we  wonld  readjust  and  wait  for 
another  'slew.'  Jerseyville,  where  we  decided  to 
remain  for  a  short  time,  was  a  small  place  with 
but  one  frame  house.  We  had  been  four  weeks 
on  our  journey  and  were  tired  and  sad.  A 
house  with  two  rooms  was  purchased  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  and  there  we  spent 
the  winter.  Our  furniture  was  ruined,  our 
mirrors  broken,  our  chairs  and  tables  were 
minus  legs  and  arms.  All  seemed  hopelessly 
dreary.  But  we  were  soon  settled  and  tried 
to  be  cheerful,  for  such  as  it  was,  this  was  to 
be  our  home. 

"As  we  were  descended  from  the  Pilgrims  and 
accustomed  to  go  to  Church  three  times  on  a 
Sabbath,  we  inquired  for  a  place  of  worship. 
A  small  building,  eighteen  by  twenty  feet,  with 

211 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

one  room  in  which  hved  a  widow  with  six  chil- 
dren, was  pointed  out  to  us  as  the  church. 
Upon  entering,  we  found  ourselves  obliged  to 
sit  on  rails,  holding  on  by  our  hands  to  pre- 
serve our  equilibrium.  Our  homesickness  at 
the  sight  caused  some  tears,  but  the  ludicrous- 
ness  of  the  situation  soon  drew  forth  suppressed 
laughter.  On  the  second  Sabbath  the  minister 
appeared,  holding  in  his  hand  a  broken  pitcher 
and  two  tumblers  for  the  administration  of  the 
Sacrament.  In  imagination  we  went  back  to 
that  upper  chamber  where  a  few  devoted  fol- 
lowers were  assembled  and  One  came  and  stood 
in  the  midst  and  cheered  them.  Our  own  past 
and  present  were  forgotten  in  the  contempla- 
tion of  that  scene." 

In  the  following  February  John  Adams  was 
invited  to  take  charge  of  a  female  seminary  at 
Jacksonville,  Illinois.  Thither  he  removed  on 
May  3,  1837,  with  his  two  daughters,  Emily 
and  Phoebe,  who  were  again  to  be  his  assist- 
ants in  the  work  of  teaching.  Curiously 
enough,    their     association    with   the   scene    of 


ZZ2 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 


their  new  labors  dated  back  to  the  happy  days 
in  Andover.      Emily  writes  : 

"In  1830,  Mr.  Ellis,  of  Jacksonville,  Illi- 
nois, visited  Andover  to  solicit  funds  for  the 
new  female  seminary  there  to  be  established. 
Having  obtained  permission  as  a  child  to  go  to 
church  and  hear  a  man  talk  about  the  West,  I 
sat  among  his  auditors  and  listened  eagerly. 
He  presented  in  glowing  colors  the  delightful 
country,  the  salubrious  climate,  the  rich  soil, 
the  boundless  prairies;  but  he  depicted  also 
the  darkness  and  ignorance  which  prevailed. 
There  were  no  churches,  no  school-houses  in 
which  to  teach  and  refine  the  rude  and  unculti- 
vated girls  from  the  creeks  and  prairies.  The 
New  England  people  contributed  largely,  and 
Mr.  Ellis  returned  rejoicing  in  his  success. 
The  first  principal  of  the  Jacksonville  Seminary 
was  Miss  Sarah  Crocker  from  New  Hampshire. 
With  what  pity  did  we  look  upon  her  as  she 
was  bidding  farewell  to  her  friends  and  her 
New  England  home  to  teach  in  the  far  West. 
'  Oh,'  I  exclaimed,  '  if  she  should  be  devoured 

223 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 

by  wolves  on  the  prairies,  or  scalped  by  the 
Indians,  it  would  be  two  months  before  the 
news  could  reach  us.'  This  thought  was 
sufficient  to  banish  forever  any  idea  of  walking 
in  her  footsteps." 

Who  would  then  have  believed  it  possible 
that  the  third  principal  of  the  Jacksonville 
Academy  would  be  no  other  than  Mr.  John 
Adams. 

Of  the  way  in  which  her  father  met  his  new 
problems  she  writes  as  follows: 

"  Though  my  father  had  had  long  expe- 
rience as  an  educator,  he  had  none  whatever  in 
the  kind  of  work  which  was  opening  before 
him.  Girls  direct  from  the  timber  and  the 
creeks,  as  wild  as  the  dumb  creatures  who  had 
their  homes  in  these  haunts,  crowded  about 
him.  Their  manners  were  uncouth,  their  lan- 
guage barbarous.  It  was  a  question  whether 
the  venerable  pedagogue  from  Boston  could 
understand  such  material  or  make  anything 
from  it.      But  he  grasped  the  situation  at  once. 

224 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

He  perceived  no  difference  between  the  youth 
of  the  East  or  of  the  West,  but  such  as  resulted 
from  their  different  circumstances ;  and  he  well 
knew  that  it  was  the  work  upon  which  he  was 
entering  which  alone  could  readjust  the  scale 
and  restore  the  balance.  His  policy  in  dealing 
with  these  wild  girls  was  first  of  all  to  win  their 
hearts,  then  he  could  mould  them  to  any  form 
he  pleased.  Love  was  the  power  by  which  he 
subdued  them.  This  was  his  only  threat,  his 
only  penalty.  He  had  no  occasion  to  call  in 
parents  or  trustees  to  enforce  his  authority. 
Often  the  wrongdoer  was  melted  by  his  tender 
manner  and  tearful  eye,  and  would  throw  her 
arms  about  his  neck  in  token  of  unqualified 
submission.  His  will  was  like  iron,  but  his 
heart  had  grown  soft  as  that  of  a  little  child. 
His  law  was  like  that  of  the  Medes  and  Per- 
sians ;  but  it  was  law  in  the  hands  of  a  medi- 
ator." 

There  is  little  to  add  to  Emily's  narrative. 
The  Adams  family  passed  several  happy  years 
as  teachers  in  Jacksonville.  They  lived  in  the 
basement   below  the   school  and  taught  in  the 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

rooms  above.  The  school  prospered  greatly, 
and  after  the  first  public  examination  they  had 
always  many  more  applicants  than  it  was  pos- 
sible to  accommodate.  This  led  the  Trustees 
to  make  earnest  efforts  to  complete  the  build- 
ing. This  work  had  just  been  most  success- 
fully accomplished,  when,  to  the  surprise  and 
sorrow  of  all,  John  Adams  resigned  his  posi- 
tion. He  was  moved,  he  says,  by  a  sort  of 
inward  compulsion.  His  daughter  Phoebe  had 
married  Mr.  Campbell,  a  banker  of  Jackson- 
ville, and  Emilv  was  worn  out  by  her  faithful 
labors  and  needed  rest.  Although  he  was  in 
good  health  and  still  loved  to  teach,  he  could 
not  forget  that  he  was  seventy  years  of  age. 

Again  the  anxious  question  arose.  Lord,  what 
wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  To  all  human  ap- 
pearances, he  had  outlived  the  time  of  his  use- 
fulness. But  God  still  had  a  work  for  his  serv- 
ant to  do — a  work  for  which  all  the  past  had 
been  a  preparation — for  the  sake  of  which,  in 
His  wise  Providence,  He  had  led  him  safely 
from  Andover  to  Elbridge,  and  from  Elbridge 
across  the  trackless  prairie  to  distant  Illinois. 

226 


CHAPTER  IX 

FATHER  ADAMS 


"  Gronxj  old  along  nvith  me  ^ 
The  best  is  yet  to  be — 
The  last  of  life  for  njohich  the  'whole  luas  planned.''^ 

— Browning. 


CHAPTER  IX 

FATHER  ADAMS 

1 842-1 854 


ONE  cannot  fail  to  be  struck  by  the  con- 
trast between  the  gentle  figure  of 
"  Father  Adams,"  the  beloved  mis- 
sionary of  the  west,  and  that  of  the  severe  and 
somewhat  despotic  Principal  of  Phillips  Acad- 
emy, Andover.  The  years  of  misfortune  and 
wandering  had  brought  forth  in  John  Adams's 
character  the  peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness. 
Not  less  firm  in  his  religious  convictions  or  more 
tolerant  of  evil  than  in  the  past,  it  was  yet 
true  that  a  change  had  come  over  his  inner 
spiritual  life.  There  had  been  more  of  Law 
than  of  Gospel  in  the  theology  of  his  earlier 
days  ;   but  now  the  balance  was  shifted.     The 

229 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

God  who  in  the  time  of  his  prosperity  had  im- 
pressed him  chiefly  with  awe  had  in  the  days 
of  his  adversity  revealed  Himself  as  a  loving 
Comforter  and  Friend,  It  is  the  tender  aspects 
of  the  divine  character,  rather  than  those  which 
are  sterner  and  more  terrible,  upon  which  from 
this  time  forth  we  find  his  mind  dwelling. 

Soon  after  his  resignation  from  the  Jackson- 
ville Academy  Mr.  Adams  received  a  letter 
from  the  American  Sunday  School  Union  ask- 
ing him  to  be  their  agent  for  the  State  of 
Illinois.  No  offer  could  have  been  more  con- 
genial. His  work  had  always  been  for  children, 
and  he  felt  himself  still  able  to  win  their  confi- 
dence and  to  command  their  respect.  He 
therefore  accepted  the  proposal  with  alacrity  ; 
and,  purchasing  a  good  horse  and  buggy,  began 
at  once  to  labor  in  his  new  field.  His  work 
lay  among  the  scattered  population  of  the 
prairies  and  involved  no  small  degree  of  physi- 
cal hardship.  We  wonder  as  we  read  of  what 
was  endured  by  this  missionary,  of  over  seventy 
years,  how  he  bore  scanty  fare,  long  exposures 
to   wind    and    rain,    night    journeys   over   the 

230 


'■'■Father  Adams  " 


A 


\> 


r  \l 


\ 


I 


I 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

roughest  roads  taken  alone  in  his  little  buggy. 
The  secret  of  his  strength  was  without  doubt 
to  be  found  in  the  happiness  which  came  to 
him  through  service.  He  was  upheld  by  the 
inspiring  thought  that,  in  spite  of  his  age  and 
humble  condition,  God  was  using  him  to  do  a 
useful  work  for  his  day  and  generation.  "  Never 
before,"  is  his  own  testimony  at  the  time,  "have 
I  been  so  calm,  so  quiet,  so  free  from  care,  as 
by  the  grace  of  God  I  now  am." 

Although  his  work  was  chiefly  for  children, 
it  was  by  no  means  confined  to  them.  Into 
the  life  of  many  a  rough  pioneer  this  Sun- 
day School  missionary,  with  his  patriarchal  fig- 
ure and  gentle  voice,  came  as  a  reminder  of 
earlier  and  better  days.  Often  he  was  able  to 
awaken  in  lives  that  had  grown  hard  and  sordid 
desires  after  something  higher  than  material 
gain.  Now  and  again  it  was  his  privilege  to 
bring  back  recollections  of  a  cultured  Eastern 
home,  or  to  fan  the  faint  flame  of  a  former  re- 
ligious life  into  a  warm,  clear  glow.  The  fruits 
of  his  labors  once  gathered  into  an  organized 
Sunday  School,  the  missionary  must  hasten  on 

231 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 

to  meet  the  claims  of  still  more  needy  fields  ; 
but  he  would  often  return,  like  the  Apostle  of 
old,  to  see  how  it  fared  with  his  spiritual  chil- 
dren and  to  impart  to  them  some  good  gift. 

At  no  time  of  his  life  had  John  Adams's 
efforts  for  the  good  of  others  brought  him  so 
rich  a  return  of  love  and  gratitude.  His  name 
was  known  and  reverenced  over  the  whole  State 
of  Illinois.  In  the  eyes  of  the  children  no  one 
was  like  "  Father  Adams."  Wherever  he  went 
they  crowded  around  him  to  look  up  into  his 
revered  face,  to  hear  his  simple  anecdotes,  and 
to  receive  the  books  and  papers  which  the  old 
buggy  always  contained.  "  A  godliness  so 
simple,  so  warm-hearted,  so  earnest,  so  unvary- 
ing as  his,"  writes  a  friend  who  knew  him  at 
this  time,  "  could  not  but  have  great  influence 
with  men."  It  carried  with  it  a  silent  force 
which  was  irresistible.  The  power  of  his  good- 
ness was  felt  by  all  who  came  near  him,  con- 
vincing them  of  the  reality  of  religion,  and 
lifting  them  up  into  an  unwonted  nearness  to 
the  divine  Presence.  He  had  a  peculiar  faculty 
of  communicating  truth  so  as  to  fasten  it  upon 

232 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

the  memory  and  lodge  it  in  the  heart.  The 
very  homeliness  of  his  illustrations,  drawn  as 
they  were  from  the  school  and  the  farm,  could 
not  fail  to  attract  and  hold  the  interest  of  the 
plain  but  sturdy  folk,  among  whom  his  lot  was 
now  cast. 

To  younger  missionaries  Father  Adams  was 
a  never-failing  source  of  helpfulness  and  inspi- 
ration. It  was  he  who  discovered  the  power 
latent  in  that  fervent  but  uneducated  young 
man,  Stephen  Paxton,  who  later  became  one  of 
the  most  successful  of  our  home  missionaries. 
To  his  recommendation  Mr.  Paxton  owed  his 
first  commission  from  the  Sunday  School 
Union. 

Sometimes,  as  Father  Adams  went  about  the 
country  on  his  continual  missionary  journeys, 
he  would  encounter  former  pupils  from  the 
Eastern  States.  Great  was  their  surprise  and 
admiration  to  find  that  their  old  master,  whom 
they  had  supposed  long  since  relegated  to  a 
seat  by  the  chimney  side,  was  actively  engaged 
in  a  second  life  work.  After  one  of  these 
pleasant  meetings  with  Josiah   Quincy  of  Bos- 

233 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

ton,  the  latter  accompanied  Mr.  Adams  to  the 
railway  station  and  paid  his  fare,  saying  as  he 
did  so  to  the  ticket  agent :  "  You  should  let 
this  gentleman  ride  free.  The  country  owes 
him  interest  money." 

But  the  longest  road  must  have  an  ending, 
and  we  are  at  length  drawing  near  the  close  of 
John  Adams's  active  career.  The  year  1854 
marks  his  retirement  from  service.  He  had 
been  then  for  fifty-nine  years  engaged  in  work 
for  the  young.  As  a  teacher  he  had  had  under 
his  care  more  than  four  thousand  pupils.  As  a 
Sunday  School  missionary  he  had  organized 
three  hundred  and  twenty-two  Sabbath  Schools, 
representing  two  thousand  five  hundred  and 
nineteen  teachers  and  sixteen  thousand  and 
eighty-two  scholars. 

Slowly  and  reluctantly  even  now  he  put  off 
the  harness  and  took  his  place  among  those 
whose  duty  it  is  but  to  stand  and  wait.  He 
still  loved  to  work,  he  still  felt  himself  able  to 
be  useful  ;  but  he  resigned  his  commission  be- 
cause of  a  conscientious  fear  that  his  salary  of 
four  hundred  dollars  might  more  profitably  be 

234 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 


paid  to  a  younger  man.  In  the  year  of  his 
retirement  he  published  a  "  Plea  for  Sunday 
Schools  in  the  West,"  which  was  widely  circu- 
lated and  proved  helpful  to  the  good  cause. 

His  love  for  children  never  grew  less.  Now 
that  he  could  no  longer  minister  to  them  in 
person  his  affection  found  an  outlet  in  frequent 
letters.  Especially  to  his  own  grandchildren 
he  wrote  words  of  loving  interest  and  wise 
counsel. 

To  a  granddaughter  he  writes  as  follows  : 
"Jacksonville,  111.,  Sept,  29,  1857. 

"  My  dear  Granddaughter  : 

Your  very  welcome  letter  of  the  loth  inst. 
was  handed  me  on  the  morning  of  my  birthday, 
the  1 8th  of  September.  I  thank  you  for  thus 
remembering  your  aged  Grandfather.  It  seems 
that  you  are  now  housekeeper.  With  father 
and  mother  absent,  your  brother  and  his  cousin 
sailing  on  the  mighty  deep,  and  another  brother 
soon  to  enter  college,  you  must  feel  lonely  in  a 
wide  house. 

"  I   hope   you   will  not  consider  your  educa- 

Z3S 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

tion  as  complete  till  you  shall  have  made  your- 
self familiar  with  housekeeping,  cookery,  and 
every  domestic  duty  and  economy.  You  must 
try  to  make  the  world  better  by  your  living  in 
it  and  to  make  others  happy  as  well  as  your- 
self 

"  I  shall  probably  never  see  another  birthday. 
But  I  am  not  anxious  about  it.  God  will  di- 
rect !  My  prayer  and  my  hope  is  that  I  may 
be  fully  prepared  and  always  ready  to  depart 
whenever  the  summons  shall  be  sent ;  and  that 
I  may  look  upon  death  as  a  welcome  messen- 
ger sent  by  my  Father  to  call  me  home.  That 
you  may  be  eminently  useful  and  eminently 
pious  and  so  made  happy,  is  the  prayer  of  your 
aged,  contented,  grateful  and  happy  Grand- 
father, 

"John  Adams." 

And  again  : 

"Jacksonville,  111.,  Nov.  lo,  1858. 
"  Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Adams, 
"  My  dear  Granddaughter  : 
"  Your    name     is     very     pleasant     to    me. 

236 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 


'  Mary '  was  the  name  of  my  dear  mother, 
your  great-grandmother,  and  of  my  first  born 
daughter.  '  EHzabeth  '  was  that  of  the  wife 
of  my  youth  and  the  mother  of  my  children, 
and  also  of  your  dear  aunt  who  found  a 
watery  grave.*  May  you  always  honor  and 
reflect  the  many  virtues  of  those  whose  names 
you  bear. 

"  Your  very  welcome  letter  of  the  3rd  inst. 
reached  me  in  four  days  after  date.  I  am  glad 
to  hear  you  say  that  you  are  pleased  with  your 
school  and  with  your  situation  amid  the  beau- 
ties of  Andover.  The  place  must  have 
changed  much  since  I  knew  it  twenty-five  years 
ago.  Alas  !  those  with  whom  I  was  most  fa- 
miliar are  not  now  in  Andover.  Dr.  Porter, 
Dr.  Woods,  Mr.  Stuart,  Mr.  Farrar,  Dr.  Ed- 
wards, and  the  husband  of  your  present  teacher. 
Prof.  Edwards,  all  these  have  passed  away. 
Soon  I  too  shall  go,  being  now  in  my  eighty- 
seventh  year.  Wonderful  mercy,  to  have  been 
preserved  so  long  !      I  have  had  my  infirmities. 


*  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cowles  perished  in  the  wreck  of  the  steamer 
"Home,"  oft'  Cape  Hatteras,  October  9,  1837. 

»37 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

but,  thank  the  Lord,  they  are  few  and  attended 
with  little  pain  and  distress.  Surely  God  is 
good. 

"  And  now,  dear  child,  in  closing  this  short 
letter,  I  shall  give  you  some  good  advice, 
which  I  hope  you  will  remember  after  I  am 
gone. 

"  First.  Cultivate  and  improve  your  mind. 
This  is  very  important  in  respect  to  future  use- 
fulness. 

"  Secondly.  Be  circumspect,  humble  and 
prayerful  every  day.  Your  eternal  interest  is 
at  stake. 

"  Thirdly.  The  externals  of  religion  will  not 
save  you.  The  heart  must  be  renewed  and 
sanctified. 

"  Fourthly.  Look  to  Jesus  for  all  your  need. 
Believe  in  Him.  Trust  Him.  Confide  in 
Him.  Love  Him.  Obey  Him.  Please  Him  in 
all  things. 

"  Fifthly.  Study  the  Bible  devotedly  every 
day. 

"  Sixthly.     Pray    earnestly    that    the    Holy 

238 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

Spirit  may  purify  your  heart  from  all  unbelief, 
from  pride,  worldliness,  and  every  secret  fault ; 
that  you  may  be  holy  and  fitted  for  heaven. 
You  will  pray  :  *  Search  me,  oh  God,  and  know 
my  heart ;  try  me  and  know  my  thoughts  ;  and 
see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me,  and  lead 
me  in  the  way  everlasting.  That  the  words 
of  my  mouth  and  the  meditation  of  my  heart 
may  be  acceptable  in  Thy  sight,  oh  Lord,  my 
strength  and   my  Redeemer.' 

"  To  all  of  this  I  add.  Amen  ! 

"  Your  aged,  contented,  happy  Grandfather, 

"  John  Adams." 

To  a  grandson  he  writes  : 

"  Dear  Grandson  : 

"  You  are  now  thirteen  years  old,  about  as 
old  as  your  dear  Father  was  when  he  was  made 
willing  to  accept  Christ's  invitation  and  come  to 
Him.  I  remember  the  time  well.  The  scene 
is  still  fresh  in  my  memory.  Oh,  what  joy  to 
his  parents  !      Do  you  not  think  it  would  give 

239 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

equal  joy  to  your  fond  parents  to  see  you  come 
to  Christ,  to  believe  in  Him,  to  love  Him  and 
to  serve  Him  faithfully  ?  I  look  upon  you  as 
beset  by  many  temptations  and  by  dangers  on 
every  side.  You  are  in  the  midst  of  evil  in  a 
large  city.  While  you  are  pursuing  your  stud- 
ies diligently  and  faithfully  you  are  liable  to  be 
influenced  by  ambition  merely  to  become  a  fine 
scholar  and  to  shine  in  the  world.  By  all  means, 
be  a  fine  scholar,  a  thorough  scholar.  Why  ? 
That  you  may  have  the  ability  to  do  good,  that 
you  may  devote  all  your  means  and  all  your 
acquisitions,  whether  of  learning  or  of  wealth, 
to  the  honor  of  Christ  and  to  the  building  up 
of  His  Kingdom. 

"  As  you  are  the  eldest  child,  your  example 
and  your  influence  will  have  much  to  do  in  re- 
forming the  habits  and  the  character  of  your 
brothers  and  sisters.  I  wish  you  to  think  of 
this.  Give  my  love  to  your  dear  parents  and 
all  the  children. 

"  Your  afi^ectionate 

"  Grandfather." 
240 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

July  26,  1853. 
"  Dear  Grandson  : 

"  It  would  give  me  much  pleasure  to  be 
present  at  your  approaching  anniversary  and 
to  hear  the  oration  of  my  grandson,  but  this 
cannot  be.  Home  is  the  most  suitable  place 
for  me.  I  trust  you  will  pursue  a  wise  and 
virtuous  course  and  will  feel  that  a  good  name 
is  more  precious  than  gold ;  that  your  character 
must  be  your  own  and  as  you  make  it.  I  want 
you  to  be  a  thorough  and  critical  scholar,  with 
a  mind  well  balanced,  of  a  sound  judgment, 
well  versed  in  every  branch  of  college  studies. 
Learn  to  control  yourself,  to  feel  your  obli- 
gations to  your  parents  and  to  God.  If 
you  will  love  your  Saviour  who  died  for  you 
and  who  offers  you  pardon  and  eternal  life,  if 
you  will  confide  in  Him  and  obey  Him  in  all 
things,  how  happy  you  will  be ;  how  useful, 
how  greatly  beloved ;  what  a  comfort  and 
honor  to  your  parents,  to  your  brothers  and 
sisters,  to  all  your  friends  and  relatives,  and, 
to  crown  all,  how  happy  the  result  when  life  is 
closed. 

241 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

"  You  say  you  have  not  paid  sufficient  at- 
tention to  mathematics.  Then  I  would  advise 
you  to  take  up  the  subject  without  fail.  Be 
thorough  in  every  branch  of  arithmetic.  Be 
familiar  with  every  rule,  able  to  demonstrate 
its  truth.  To  do  a  sum  in  the  rule  of  three 
is  one  thing,  but  to  demonstrate  the  rule  and 
to  give  a  good  reason  for  every  step  is  quite 
another  thing,  and  just  so  of  every  principle 
of  arithmetic.  Euclid  should  be  as  familiar  to 
you  as  your  A  B  Cs,  and  also  algebra.  These 
three  studies  will  give  you  employment  for 
more  than  a  year  to  come,  without  looking  into 
a  Latin  or  Greek  author.  These  studies  will 
teach  you  to  think,  to  think  soberly,  to  think 
correctly.  A  thorough  knowledge  of  these  be- 
fore you  enter  college  will  make  all  the  severer 
studies  of  a  college  course,  such  as  surveying, 
navigation,  astronomy,  etc.,  comparatively 
easy  and  pleasant. 

Surely  with  these  studies,  rhetoric,  etc., 
you  can  spend  another  year  very  profitably  at 
Phillips  Academy.  I  hope  to  see  you  this 
fall   in   Jacksonville,   but    as  to  giving  you  in- 

242 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

struction  in  mathematics,  however  pleasant  it 
might  be  to  me,  I  dare  not  make  promises  or 
give  encouragement,  as  I  know  not  what  shall 
be  on  the  morrow. 

"  Praying  for  your  continued  health  and  a 
divine  blessing  on  all  your  efforts  to  prepare 
for  usefulness  and  happiness,  I  must  close. 

"  Your  aged  and  happy  grandfather, 

"  John  Adams." 

Accompanying  this  letter  was  the  solution, 
worked  out  in  beautifully  clear  figures,  of  an 
interesting  mathematical  problem  which  had 
appeared  in  the  New  York  "  Observer." 

At  the  request  of  his  friends  he  prepared  a 
little  book  of  rules  and  maxims,  called  "  A 
Treatise  on  the  Proper  Training  of  Children," 
in  which  he  noted  down  in  condensed  form  the 
results  of  his  long  experience  in  dealing  with 
the  young.  This  he  did,  to  quote  his  own 
words,  "  Not  in  the  hope  that  I  shall  escape 
the  censures  of  the  fastidious  who  are  pleased 
only  with  the  elegant  and  amusing,  but  from  a 
sense   of  duty.     The   aged    should   try   to   be 


243  1 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

useful."     The   Treatise  was  dedicated  as   fol- 
lows : 

To  my  Children  and  Grandchildren, 

To  my  Former  Pupils, wherever  they  now  reside. 

To  Parents  and  Instructors, 

To  Sunday  Schools, 

Both  Teachers  and  Scholars, 

and 

To  all  into  whose  hands  it  may  fall. 

This  Little  Book, 

which 

Treats  of  subjects  interesting  to  all  Persons, 

is 

Respectfully  and  Affectionately 

Inscribed 

By  the  Author. 

Perhaps  the  wisdom  in  this  little  book  was 
considered  too  homely  for  publication  ;  cer- 
tainly it  never  saw  the  light.  Yet  parents 
might  still  draw  from  its  pages  helpful  sugges- 
tions for  the  government  of  their  children.  Dr. 
Adams  wrote  nothing  that  he  had  not  tested, 

244 


i 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

and    much   of  his  advice    reminds  us   of  that 
given  by  a  later  teacher,  Dr.  Jacob  Abbott,  in 
his  admirable  book,  "  Gentle   Measures  in  the 
Training  of  Children."     "  Do  not  use  too  fre- 
quently   the    language    of    command,"    writes 
John  Adams,  "  but  let  your  manner  be  win- 
ning  and    not   forbidding.      Reproofs    uttered 
like  the  continual  dropping  on  a  rainy  day  will 
turn   the  tender  heart  of  your  little  child  into 
an  unfeeling  stone.     Never  fret ;  for  this  gives 
evidence  of  lack   of  self  command,  and  your 
children  will   soon   learn  to  disregard  all   that 
you    say    to    them.     Never    threaten.     Never 
scold.     Do  not  speak  ironically  to  your  chil- 
dren,  nor    employ   the    dangerous   weapon    of 
ridicule.     Avoid     partiality.     Avoid    compari- 
sons.    Avoid  epithets  and   nick-names.     Ful- 
fil every  promise  made  to  your  children.     The 
man  who   does   not    strictly   comply   with    his 
promise  is  sure  to  lose  his  credit ;    his  reputa- 
tion will   suffer.     So  it  is  with  parents  in  the 
eyes  of  their  children.     You  cannot  guide  or 
benefit   your   children    unless    you    have    their 
fullest  confidence.     Be  careful  in  the  motives 

245 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 


which  you  present  to  your  children.  Teach 
your  children  habits  of  industry.  One  half  of 
total  depravity  is  idleness.  Watch  over  their 
companions,  and  their  reading."  And,  finally, 
"  Be  yourself  what  you  would  wish  them  to  be. 
It  was  a  heathen  philosopher,  but  one  who 
understood  well  the  value  of  a  good  example, 
who  caused  to  be  printed  in  capitals  over  the 
door  of  his  house,  '  Let  nothing  impure  en- 
ter, for  there  is  a  little  child  within.' " 


CHAPTER  X 

EVENTIDE 


11 


"  There  is  no  ne-xvs,  my  lord,  but  that  he  nvritfs 
Ho-uu  happily  he  has  linjed,  hoxu  'well  belonjed.'''' 

— Shakespeare. 


CHAPTER    X 

EVENTIDE 

1854-1863 


AFTER  his  retirement  from  active  mis- 
sionary service  there  yet  remained  to 
John  Adams  nine  years  of  peaceful 
and  happy  life.  Upon  the  death  of  his  wife  in 
1856,  he  made  his  home  in  Jacksonville 
with  his  devoted  daughter,  Emily  Adams  Ban- 
croft, and  he  continued  with  her  till  the  end. 
All  who  knew  him  at  this  time  speak  of  the 
extreme  beauty  and  serenity  of  his  old  age. 
He  was  vexed  by  no  further  reverses  of  fortune, 
suffered  from  no  great  physical  infirmities,  and 
was  cheered  by  the  love  of  his  children  and 
grandchildren,  and  by  the  respect  and  admira- 
tion of  all  about  him. 


249 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN     ADAMS 

By  a  kind  Providence  the  wearing  anxieties 
in  regard  to  money  matters  which  had  beset 
him  for  so  many  years  were  now  entirely  re- 
moved. When  Mr.  Adams  first  came  to  Jack- 
sonville he  had  improved  the  opportunity  to 
buy  government  lands  at  one  dollar  and  twenty- 
five  cents  an  acre.  These  he  afterwards  sold 
for  five  dollars  an  acre.  Many  men  made 
more,  but  his  characteristic  comment  on  the 
transaction  was,  "  It  is  all  I  ought  to  make." 
This  investment  provided  him  with  a  com- 
fortable support  for  his  old  age  and  enabled  him 
to  leave  one  thousand  dollars  to  each  of  his 
surviving  children. 

Of  his  worldly  affairs  he  writes  in  a  spirit  of 
entire  contentment.  "  I  have  never  been  rich," 
he  says,  "  and  never  absolutely  destitute.  The 
meal  in  the  barrel  and  the  oil  in  the  cruse  have 
been  sometimes  low,  but  never  quite  exhausted. 
I  have  fed,  clothed  and  educated  my  children, 
entertained  my  friends,  and  contributed  some- 
thing at  all  times  to  objects  of  benevolence. 
In  my  eighty-second  year  I  owe  no  man  a 
dollar,  and  have  enough  property  to  carry  me 

250 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

through  the  remainder  of  my  days.  I  could 
not  live  more  comfortably  or  contentedly  if  I 
had  more.  True,  1  could  give  more  largely  to 
my  beloved  children,  but  it  is  by  no  means 
certain  that  this  would  render  them  happier 
or  more  useful.  Surely  then  I  may  be  per- 
mitted to  say,  I  have  had  enough.  What 
shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  his 
benefits  ?" 

A  granddaughter  of  John  Adams  still  pos- 
sesses the  old  red  leather  pocket-book  from 
which  he  would  often  draw  an  unexpected  bill 
with  the  sage  remark,  "  It  is  always  well,  my 
children,  to  have  a  shot  in  the  locker." 

His  faculties  remained  strong  until  the  end. 
It  was  his  daily  custom  to  work  out  mathe- 
matical problems  without  pen  or  paper,  in  order 
to  assure  himself  that  his  brain  was  in  good 
running  order.  His  eye-sight  was  excellent, 
and  he  was  usually  able  to  read  five  or  six 
hours  a  day.  He  remained  faithful  to  his  early 
love,  "  Scott's  Commentaries,"  and  with  that 
and  his  Bible  passed  his  happiest  hours. 

"  Once,"   writes    Mrs.    Bancroft,  "  he  called 

251 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

me  to  him  and  said,  *  My  child,  I  fear  you  are 
to  have  a  great  trial.'  I  said,  '  What  is  it, 
Father?'  He  replied,  'I  have  read  through 
the  Gospel  of  John,  a  number  of  the  Psalms, 
and  two  of  the  Epistles  without  my  spectacles, 
and  my  eyes  ache;  I  fear  I  shall  be  blind.'  I 
laughed  heartily  and  assured  him  that  there 
was  no  danger  of  blindness." 

He  was  interested  in  all  the  improvements 
of  modern  times.  He  would  watch  the  running 
of  the  sewing  machine  for  hours,  and  say, 
"  Thank  the  Lord,  the  women  of  the  present 
day  need  not  work  as  my  mother  did."  He 
rejoiced  in  the  improvements  in  farming  im- 
plements, and  would  say,  "  Thank  God  that  I 
have  lived  to  see  all  this."  Gardening  had 
always  been  his  delight,  and  when  no  longer 
able  himself  to  care  for  his  plants  and  flowers  it 
was  his  pleasure  to  sit  for  hours  watching  their 
unfolding  beauty.  A  rose  in  a  young  girl's 
dress  gave  him  the  keenest  joy. 

In  the  journal  of  a  granddaughter  who  visited 
him  in  his  ninetieth  year  we  find  this  entry  : 
"  Grandpapa  seems  as  young  as  ever.      He  is 

252 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

as  happy  as  it  is  possible  for  any  one  to  be. 
All  that  is  done  for  him  is  always  just  right- 
He  is  very  much  interested  in  what  goes 
on  about  him,  even  noticing  my  embroid- 
ery and  asking  about  it.  He  often  reads 
the  New  Testament  through  in  less  than  a 
week,  devouring  it  as  if  it  were  the  latest 
news." 

When  his  strength  permitted,  he  carried  on 
genealogical  studies  and  prepared  careful  tables 
showing  the  different  branches  of  the  Adams 
family.  He  noted  down  those  scattered  remi- 
niscences of  his  former  life  from  which  we  have 
quoted  in  previous  pages,  and  seldom  failed  to 
record  upon  the  well  worn  pages  of  his  journal 
the  simple  happenings  of  the  day. 

On  each  succeeding  birthday  he  expressed 
his  gratitude  to  God  for  having  spared  him  yet 
another  year.  These  birthday  entries  between 
the  years  1844  and  1862  have  been  preserved 
unbroken,  and  form  a  beautiful  series  of  devout 
thanksgivings.  He  delighted  in  receiving  let- 
ters, and  always  answered  them  with  pains- 
taking care.     Nothing  gave  him  so  much  joy 

253 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

as  to  hear  from  his  old  pupils  that  they  were 
standing  firm  in  the  faith.  More  than  once  he 
had  the  happiness  of  hearing  that  boys  who 
while  at  Andover  had  cared  little  for  religion 
had  since  that  time  been  won  to  a  better  life 
by  the  influence  of  his  remembered  words  and 
prayers.  His  devoted  pupil,  William  Goodell, 
often  sent  him  news  of  his  labors  in  distant 
Turkey.  When,  in  1854,  Yale  College  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  LL.D.,  Dr 
Goodell  wrote  from  Constantinople  to  Dr. 
William  Adams  of  New  York  :  "  I  see  that 
your  venerable  father  has  been  made  Doctor  of 
Laws,  and  my  heart  is  glad.  I  wish  that 
he  could  be  created  Doctor  of  Everything 
Good,  an  honor  which  he  richly  deserves,  but 
alas,  I  fear  that  there  is  so  seldom  a  demand  for 
such  a  degree  that  Yale  will  have  none  on 
hand." 

Enforced  leisure  enabled  him  to  watch  more 
closely  than  ever  before  the  course  of  political 
events.  His  memory  carried  him  back  to  the 
days  when  the  thirteen  colonies  were  united 
under  the  heavy  pressure  of  war.     It  was  with 

254 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

fear  and  grief  inexpressible  that  he  saw  upon  the 
horizon  the  gathering  cloud  of  secession. 
To  his  son,  Dr.  William  Adams,  he  writes  : 

"Jacksonville,  Illinois, 
"April  21,  1861. 

"Yours  of  the  17th  inst.  has  been  received 
and  perused  with  much  interest.  I  thank  you 
kindly  for  thus  writing  me,  giving  so  many 
facts  respecting  yourself  and  your  family. 

"  In  respect  to  politics,  I  can  only  say,  oh, 
my  country  !  My  country  !  What  troubles, 
what  calamities  are  brought  on  thee  by  the  dis- 
appointed pride  of  a  few  discontented  and  am- 
bitious politicians  ! 

"  Secession  is  wrong  !  If  in  this  case  it  be 
defended  as  correct  or  justifiable,  then  anarchy 
is  inevitable.  Any  state  or  portion  of  a  state, 
any  minority,  if  dissatisfied  with  the  majority  on 
any  account  whatever,  may  secede  and  declare 
its  own  independence.  All  confidence  will  be 
lost,  and  constitutional  treaties,  contracts,  com- 
promises and  solemn  oaths  will  become  worth- 
less. 

255 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

"  But  I  cannot  express  to  you  all  my  fears, 
regrets  and  anxieties ;  I  can  only  pray  that 
God  in  great  mercy  may  interpose,  superintend, 
direct,  control,  and  bring  about  such  a  result  as 
He  sees  will  be  for  His  own  glory,  for  the  best 
good  for  our  whole  country,  North  and  South, 
East  and  West,  for  the  cause  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty  among  all  nations,  and  for 
the  spread  of  the  Gospel  the  world  over !  To 
this  end  I  hope  that  you  and  all  who  love  our 
country  will  join  me  in  a  hearty  Amen  ! 

"  Remember  me  to  your  colored  servants ; 
for,  if  they  are  not  citizens,  they  doubtless  are 
human  beings,  and  like  ourselves  bound  to  ap- 
pear at  the  judgment  bar.  If  not  permitted  by 
law  to  give  testimony  against  a  white  man,  in 
the  court  of  Heaven  it  will  be  different. 

"  Your  aged,  contented  and  happy  father, 

"  John  Adams. 

"  P.  S.  My  health  continues  to  be  very 
comfortable,  and  I  am  entirely  free  from  pain 
and  distress,  thanks  to  the  Lord  !  I  have  noth- 
ing   to    fret    me,   nothing   to  trouble    me    but 

256 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

my  own  defects  and   want   of  pure  and   holy 
motives. 

"  Love  to  Martha  and  to  all  your  dear  chil- 
dren. I  love  them  and  pray  for  them  every 
day." 

In  1854,  at  the  solicitation  of  his  children, 
John  Adams  sat  for  his  portrait  to  a  New  York 
artist.  This  picture,  which  is  now  the  most 
satisfactory  representation  of  him  in  existence, 
hung  for  some  years  in  the  study  of  his  son, 
Dr.  William  Adams.  About  1870  it  was  pre- 
sented by  Dr.  Adams  to  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  Phillips  Academy  and  was  placed  by  them 
in  the  great  Assembly  Hall. 

A  unique  token  of  regard  was  sent  to  him  in 
1857  by  the  young  people  of  the  Madison 
Square  Presbyterian  Church  in  New  York. 
This  was  a  quilt,  pieced  by  forty  little  girls, 
and  quilted  by  forty  young  ladies  of  the  congre- 
gation. Upon  each  piece  was  inscribed  the  name 
of  one  of  the  donors  and  a  verse  of  Scripture. 
The  gift  was  accompanied  by  a  letter  express- 
ing the  affection  felt  for  Father  Adams  by  the 

257 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

children  of  the  East  who  had  been  told  of  his 
labors  for  Sunday-schools.  To  this  letter  John 
Adams  replied  : 

"  Your  very  welcome  communication  of  the 
28th  reached  me  safely  on  Saturday  last,  accom- 
panied by  a  precious  token  of  esteem  from 
forty  darling  children  and  forty  beloved  young 
ladies.  This  ingenious  and  admirable  New 
Year's  gift  has  taken  me  by  surprise.  I  am 
overwhelmed ;  I  feel  myself  utterly  unworthy 
of  such  tender  sympathy  and  affection.  I  know 
not  in  what  language  to  express  my  gratitude 
to  all  those  who  have  in  any  way  contributed 
to  this  wonderful  quilt  spread  before  me.  I  can 
scarcely  read  the  divine  mottoes  for  the  tears 
which  fill  my  eyes.  I  have  all  your  names 
before  me,  and  my  prayer  is  that  you  may  be 
true  penitents,  that  you  may  come  to  Christ, 
believe  on  Him,  love  and  obey  Him  while  you 
live,  and  trust  Him  to  care  for  you  when  you 
come  to  die.  It  gives  me  pleasure  to  hear  that 
you  love  your  pastor.  Pray  for  him  much 
that  he  may  not  labor  in  vain.       Great  is  his 

258 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

charge  and  awful  his  responsibiHty.  May  he 
be  faithful  to  the  lambs  of  his  flock  and  to  his 
Lord  and  Master." 

As  old  age  advanced,  Dr.  Adams  was  often 
confined  to  the  house  by  increasing  infirmities, 
and  his  place  was  left  empty  in  the  church  of 
which  he  was  an  elder.  But  his  counsel  was 
still  sought  by  his  associates,  who  seldom  un- 
dertook any  matter  of  importance  without  first 
consulting  Father  Adams.  Young  men  and 
those  who  were  older  came  to  him  with  their 
trials  and  disappointments  and  went  away  re- 
freshed and  strengthened  by  his  simple  faith  in 
the  goodness  of  God  and  in  the  overcoming 
powers  of  "hard  work  with  prayer."  He 
himself  seemed  to  be  in  almost  constant  com- 
munion with  the  Unseen.  "  He  was  often  en- 
gaged in  prayer  both  silent  and  audible,"  writes 
his  pastor, "  in  which,  as  the  end  drew  near,  his 
fervency  and  earnestness  increased." 

On  New  Year's  Day,  1859,  after  receiving 
many  visitors,  he  was  taken  ill,  and  for  a  time 
great   anxiety   was   felt   for   him,  but  he  rallied 

259 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

and  was  soon  his  serene  self  again.  Perhaps 
it  was  at  this  time  that  a  little  incident  occurred 
which  is  related  by  his  daughter  Emily.  As 
his  children  stood  about  his  bed  one  of  them 
suggested  that  some  stimulant  be  brought  him. 
His  eyes  opened  and  he  whispered,  "  No,  my 
children,  no  ;  I  am  afraid  I  might  not  find  the 
gate." 

To  his  departure  into  another  world  he 
looked  forward  calmly,  as  to  the  passage  into  an 
adjoining  room.  He  often  spoke  of  it  and  of 
the  arrangements  which  were  to  be  made  after 
his  death.     To  his  son  William  he  writes  : 

"Jacksonville,  August  4,  1858. 
"  In  answer  to  your  confidential  inquiry  I 
would  observe  that  it  is  in  itself  of  little  conse- 
quence where  my  body  is  laid.  If  it  should  be 
so  ordered  by  Providence  that  I  should  die  in 
New  York  or  in  the  East,  then  I  should  choose 
to  have  my  burial  in  Andover,  by  the  side  of 
the  wife  of  my  youth  and  mother  of  my  chil- 
dren, and  amidst  other  dear  friends.  But  if  I 
die  in  Jacksonville,  which  is  altogether  proba- 

260 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

ble,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  would  hardly  be  ad- 
visable to  remove  my  body  so  great  a  distance, 
as  the  removal  would  be  attended  with  consid- 
erable expense,  and  would  necessarily  excite 
melancholy  feelings  on  the  part  of  relatives  and 
friends.  For  myself,  I  have  no  choice  to  make. 
I  leave  it  entirelv  to  the  decision  of  divine 
Providence  and  to  the  wishes  and  choice  of  my 
beloved  children.  Amen  !  The  time  of  my 
departure  must  be  near  !  " 

On  the  28th  of  September,  1862,  Dr.  Adams 
celebrated  his  ninetieth  birthday.  The  last 
entry  of  his  carefully  kept  journal  reads  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  This  day  I  enter  my  ninety-first  year.  The 
year  just  closed  has  been  one  of  trial  and  deep 
solicitude.  My  country  !  Oh  my  country  ! 
I  do  not  expect  to  see  peace  restored  during 
the  short  remainder  of  my  way,  but  I  am  ear- 
nestly looking  forward  to  that  everlasting  rest 
which  remaineth  to  the  people  of  God.     God 

261 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

reigns.      He    will     accomplish     his     purposes. 
Amen  and  Amen." 

Mrs.  Bancroft  writes  to  her  brother,  Dr. 
William  Adams,  the  following  description  of 
the  birthday  celebration  : 

"  The  day  Father  was  ninety  he  opened  his 
house  to  his  friends.  He  was  seated  on  the 
sofa  in  the  parlor,  and  everyone  who  came  in 
was  taken  up  to  him.  To  the  gentlemen  he 
gave  his  hand,  but  the  ladies  he  kissed,  saying : 
'Did  you  ever  kiss  anyone  before  who  was 
ninety  years  old  ? '  Of  course,  this  made  a 
great  deal  of  merriment.  Father  was  the  life 
of  the  party.  When  it  was  time  for  the  enter- 
tainment no  one  under  sixty  was  permitted  to 
go  to  the  first  table.  Some  went  in  on  two 
crutches,  some  on  one,  and  all  had  at  least  a 
cane  to  lean  on.  When  all  were  seated  Father 
oflfered  prayer.  Such  a  prayer  I  have  never 
heard — clear,  comprehensive,  beautiful.  There 
was  not  a   dry  eye  in   the   room.      Before   the 

prayer  Father  said :  '  If  any  of  the   numerous 

262 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 

friends  who  are  here  present  wish  to  ask  me 
any  questions  in  regard  to  my  hope  or  rehgious 
experience,  I  should  be  happy  to  answer  them.' 
All  smiled  at  the  thought  of  questioning  one 
who  had  led  so  godly  a  life.  Father  is  cheer- 
ful and  happy.  He  eats  and  sleeps  well.  He 
sends  much  love  to  the  members  of  your  dear 
household." 

"  I  formerly  thought,"  writes  John  the  aged, 
"  that  if  I  lived  to  be  old  I  should  become  fret- 
ful, morose*  unhappy  myself  and  making  others 
unhappy."  No  fears  could  have  been  more 
vain.  In  fullest  measure  was  the  promise  ful- 
filled to  him,  "  At  evening  time  it  shall  be 
light." 

At  the  close  of  his  life  his  heart  knew  no 
gloom  or  bitterness,  and  his  face  shone  as  if 
already  reflecting  the  light  of  a  brighter  world. 
He  felt  himself  very  near  the  gates  of  pearl. 
Often  when  retiring  he  would  say  to  his 
daughter  Emily  with  a  smile,  "  Good  night 
and  good  by,  my  child  ;  I  may  leave  you  before 
the  morning."      During  his  last  illness  he  said 

263 


THE     STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

to  her  :  "  Do  not  let  my  body  be  removed  after 
death.  Lay  me  on  the  prairie  where  the  Sun- 
day School  children  whom  I  love  can  visit  my 
grave."  On  the  morning  of  the  day  he  died 
he  asked  what  day  it  was,  and  on  being  told  he 
said,  "  Then  I  shall  spend  next  Sabbath  with 
my  God." 

On  the  24th  of  April,  1863,  he  passed  peace- 
fully away,  his  last  expression  being  one  of 
assent  when  asked  if  he  were  happy. 

As  soon  as  the  news  of  his  death  was  made 
public,  many  of  his  eastern  friends  expressed 
the  desire  that  his  body  should  be  brought  to 
Andover  ;  but  in  accordance  with  his  own  wish 
it  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Jackson- 
ville, the  scene  of  his  later  labors.  The  chil- 
dren of  the  State  of  Illinois  wished  to  contribute 
the  fund  for  his  monument,  but  that  privilege 
belonged  of  right  to  his  grandchildren,  to  whom 
in  an  especial  manner  he  had  been  as  "  an  Amen 
of  the  Bible — one  in  whom  all  God's  precious 
promises  had  been  fulfilled." 

In  the  chapel  of  Phillips  Academy  there 
hangs  a  tablet,  the  gift  of  his  granddaughter, 

264 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  SCHOOLMASTER 


Mrs.  John  Crosby  Brown,  of  New  York,  which 
reads  as  follows  : 

In  memory  of 

John  Adams,  LL.D. 

Born  at  Canterbury,   Conn. 

Sept.   1 8,  1772 

Died  at  Jacksonville,  111. 

April  24,  1863 

Principal  of 

Phillips   Academy 

Andover 
From  1 8 10-1833 


Behold  thou  hast  instructed  many 
Job,  4:3 

But  his  most  characteristic  memorial  is  the 
simple  stone  which  marks  his  western  grave. 
It  is  of  Quincy  granite,  brought  from  his  be- 
loved  New  England,  and    upon    it  is  written 

265 


THE    STORY    OF    JOHN    ADAMS 

the  epitaph  which  he  himself  had  dictated  many 
years  before  his  death.  "  Do  not  place  any 
title  upon  my  tomb-stone,"  he  said,  "but 
write  : 

A  LOVER 

OF 

CHILDREN 

A  TEACHER 

OF 

YOUTH 

A  SINNER 

SAVED  BY  GRACE" 


Memorial  Tablet 
in  Bartlet  Chapel^  Andover 


II 


GENEALOGY 


1i^ 


'i' 


■Vi' 

^1 


'1 


m 

hi' 


u 


GENEALOGY 


ANCESTRY  OF  JOHN  ADAMS 

1  Henry  Adams,  of  Braintree,  came  from  England  about  1633. 

2  Peter,  b.  in  England,  1622;  m.  Rachel.    He  settled  in  Med- 

field  1652,  his  wife,  Rachel,  and  son,  John,  coming  with 
him  from  Braintree,  Mass.  His  house  was  burned  with 
others  by  the  Indians  in  1676.      He  died  about  1690. 

3  John,    b.    in  Braintree,    Mass.;  m.  April   2,  1685,  Michal 

Bloice,  of  Watertown,  Mass. ;  (recorded  in  Watertown  as 
"  Myehall,"  dau.  of  Richard  and  Mychall  (Jennison) 
Bloice,  also  "  Bloyce  " ;  b.  April  3,  1664;  d.  April  14, 
1752);  removed  to  Canterbury,  where  he  died  Feb.  26, 
1724. 

4  Capt.   John,  b.  in  Medfield,  Dec.   14,  1695;  m.  1733,  Mrs. 

Abigail  (Cleveland)  Brown,  dau.  of  Josiah  and  Abigail 
(Paine)  Cleveland,  b.  in  Canterbury,  Conn.,  June  3,  17 15; 
d.  Dec.  19,  1782,  in  her  68th  year.  He  died  in  Can- 
terbury, Jan.   16,  1762,  in  his  66th  year. 

5  Capt.  John,  b.    in    Canterbury,    Feb.   12,  1744-5;  ^-  Dec. 

10,  i8i8,-  m.  (i)  at  Putney,  Vt.,  Oct.  5  ,  1769,  Mary 
Parker,  dau.  of  Joshua  and  Jemima  (Davenport)  Parker 
of  Needham,  Mass.,  b.  Sept.  23,  i  747;  d.  Oct.  11,  1798, 
age  51;  m.  (2)  Nov.  2,  1802,  widow  Hannah  Faucet  (or 
Fassett)  of  Brooklyn,  Conn.;  d.  Feb.  9,  1821,  age  65. 
He  had  children  by  his  first  wife: 

i  John,  LL.  D. ,  b.  in  Canterbury,  Conn. ,  Sept.  18,1772; 
m.(i)May  8,  1798,  Elizabeth  Ripley,  dau.  of  Gam- 
aliel and  Judith  (Perkins)  Ripley,  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  Gov.  Bradford,  of  Plymouth  Colony,  b. 
March  12,  1776,  d.  at  Andover,  Mass.,  Feb.  23, 

269 


GENEALOGY 


1829  ;  m.  (2)  Aug.  30,  1831,  Mrs.  Mabel  Bur- 
ritt,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  b.  July  15,  1779,  d.  July 
17,  1856.      He  died  April  24,  1863. 

ii  Capt.  Joshua,  b.  in  Canterbury,  Dec.  4,  1774— 5;  m. 
July  12,  1801,  Abigail  Sabin,  dau.  of  Jonathan 
and  Mary  Sabin,  of  Pomfret,  Conn.,b.  April  27, 
1780.  She  m.  July  2,  18 14,  John  Parkhurst, 
and  died  at  Woodstock,  Conn.,  Nov.  23,  1843. 
He  died  Aug.  3,  1813. 

iii  Mary,  b.  in  Canterbury,  May  27,  1777  ;  m.  Isaac 
Morgan,  of  Canterbury,  Conn.  She  d.  March  31, 
1832. 

iv  Rev.  Parker,  b.  in  Canterbury,  May.  6,  1779  ; 
m.  Oct.  31,  1 81 1,  Frances  Mary  Coit,  dau.  of 
Thomas  and  Frances  Mary  (Baker)  Coit,  b. 
Jan.  28,  1785  ;  d.  in  New  York,  May  20,  1846. 
He  died  1835. 
V  Abigail,  b.  in  Canterbury,  Oct.  31,  1781  ;  m.  Dea- 
con Reuben  Bishop,  son  of  Joshua  Bishop  of 
Lisbon,  Conn.,  b.  1783;  d.  Dec.  10,  1855. 
She    d.  Oct.  3,  1847. 

vi  Anna,  b.  in  Canterbury,  Jan.  7,  1784  ;  m.  George 
Monteith  of  Pennsylvania.  They  settled  at  Ells- 
worth,   Ohio,    where   she   d.   Nov.    6,    1865. 

vii  Moses,  b.  in  Canterbury,  Sept.  28,  1786;  m. 
about  1 8 14,  Sarah  Paschal,  dau.  of  Dr.  Henry 
and  Ann  (Morton)  Paschal,  b.  in  Wilmington, 
Del.,  July  14,  1787  ;  d.  in  Ellsworth,  O.,  May 
24,  1873.  He  died  at  Greensburg,  Pa.,  April 
10,  1828. 
viii  Luceba,  b.  in  Canterbury,  March  20,  1789  ;  m. 
Sept.  21,  1813,  Harvey  Allen,  b.  Sept.  28,  1789; 
d.  Sept.  3,  1868.  She  died  at  Princeton,  111., 
1878. 

ix  Aurelia,  b.  in  Canterbury,  March  10,  1793  ;  m. 
Dec.  5,  1 8 14,  Elijah  Woodward,  son  of  Moses 
and  Lydia  Woodward  ;  b.  in  Griswold,  Conn., 
March  4,  1785  ;  d.  Jan.  23,  1858.  They  re- 
moved to  Ohio  in  1832,  and  to  Oregon  in  1851. 
Shed.  Sept,  29,  1851. 
X  Charles,  b.  in  Canterbury,  June  11,  1795;  d.  at 
Statesburg,  S.  C.  Jan.  20,  1821. 

270 


GENEALOGY 


II 

DESCENDANTS   OF  JOHN  ADAMS 

I  Mary,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Ripley) 
Adams,  b.  April  7,  1799  ;  m.  Sept.  18,  1821,  Rev.  Dan- 
iel Hemenway.  She  died  Feb.  4,  1873.  They  had 
children  : 

i  Mary  Adams,  b.  July  16,  I  822  ;   d.  Dec.  i  5,  1885. 
ii  Sarah  Elizabeth,  b.  March  12,  1824;  m.   June  10, 
1845,  Edwin  Holman,  and  had  children  : 

1  Charles  Edwin,  b.    Oct.    28,    1846  ;  m.    Sept. 

28,  1876,   Jennie   Elizabeth  Blair,    and  had 
children  : 

(i)   Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  Dec.  29,  1878. 
(2)   George  Edwin,  b.  April  25,  1881. 

2  Mary  Abbie,  b.    May  6,    1848,    m.   June   30, 

1870,  Elmore  A.  Kent,  and  had  children  : 
(i)  A  son,  b.   July  26,    1871,    d.    July  27, 
1871. 

(2)  Norton  Adams*,  b.  July  28,  1873. 

(3)  Albert  Emmett,  b.  Jan.  20,  1876. 

3  Rev.    William   Henry,  b.    Jan.   19,    1852;   m. 

(i)  Nov.    21,    1877,    Mary  Elizabeth  War- 
ner,  who    died  June  22,    1879;  he   m.    (2) 
July  21,    1880,  Clara  E.    Colburn,  and  had 
children  : 
(i)   Margaret,  b.  April  22,  i88i. 

(2)  John     Adams,    b.    Jan.     9,    1883  ;     d. 
March  9,  1883. 

(3)  Ruth  Colburn,  b.  Sept.  26,  1885. 

(4)  Clara  Hemenway,  b.  March  16,  1887. 

4  Alfred  Lyman,   b.   Dec.    28,   1854;  m.   Nov. 

25,    1885,    Lucy    C.    W.    Hall,    and    had 
children  : 

(i)  Cecile  Alexandrine,  b.   Aug.  30,  1886. 
(2)  Doris  Elizabeth,  b.  July  10,  1888. 
iii  Miriam   Walley,  b.  Jan.   13,  1826  ;  d.  March  27, 
1883. 


*  Graduated  from   Yale  College  in    1895,  one  hundred  years  after  his 
great-great-grandfather,  John  Adams,  LL.  D. 

271 


GENEALOGY 


iv  John    Adams,   b.     Feb.    20,     1828  ;   m.    Feb.     18, 
1858,  Eliza  Maria  Rising  ;  they  had  children  : 

1  Georges  Cowles,  b.  Nov     21,  1858  ;  m.   July 

12,  1897,  Elinor  Foster.      She  died  July  3, 
1898. 

2  Henry  Rising,  b.  March  17,  1862;  m.  May  6, 

1 885, Mary  Eliza  Sheldon,  and  had  children: 
(i)   Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  Aug.  9,  1887. 

(2)  Henrietta  Rising,  b.  April  26,  1893. 

(3)  Helen  Sheldon,  b.  Oct.  24,  1894. 

3  Egerton,    b.    April    27,     1868;  m.    Feb.    10, 

1892,  Martha  A.  Fuller,  and  had  a  child: 
(i)   Marjorie  Fuller,  b.  Oct.  6,  1894. 
V  Elizabeth   Ripley,  b.  May  13,  1830  j  d.   Sept.   13, 

1887. 
vi   George  Cowles,  b.  Dec.  8,  I  832;  d.  Dec.  11,  1834. 
vii  Daniel   Egerton,   b.    Dec.    24,    1841;  d.  Nov.    21, 
1862. 
n  Gamaliel,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Ripley)  Adams,  b. 

July  2,   1800  ;   d.  April  29,   1802. 
in  Rev.   John  Ripley,  son  of  John   and    Elizabeth  (Ripley) 
Adams,  b.  March  20,  1802;  m.   Feb.    19,  1833,  Mary 
Ann   McGregor;   he    d.    April    25,    1866.      They  had 
children  : 

i  John  McGregor,  b.  March  11,  1834;   m.  July  12, 

1864,  Jane  R.  King.      She  died  Sept.   14,  1899. 
ii  Elizabeth    McGregor,  b.    Oct.    i.   1836  ;    m.    July 
27,  1864,  Rev.   Edward    Strong  Dwight  ;  she  d. 
July  4,  1879  ;  they  had  children  : 

1  Marion  McGregor,  b.   Dec.   15,  1865. 

2  Julia  Strong  Lyman,  b.  Dec.  2,  1870. 

iii  Albert   Egerton,   b.    Aug.  22,  1840  ;   m.    Sept.  5, 
1873,  Elizabeth  Livingston  Steele.      He  died  Jan. 
4,  1896. 
IV  Ripley  Perkins,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Ripley)  Ad- 
ams, b.   Jan.   II,    18045   ni-    1 831,  Hannah  B.   Tobey  ; 
d.  1847.      He  d.  April  30,  1870. 
V  Elizabeth   Ripley,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Rip- 
ley) Adams,  b.  July  7,    1805  j    m.    Feb.   13,  1828,  Rev. 
George    Cowles  ;  they    were    both    lost    in    the   steamer 
"Home,"  Oct.  9,  1837. 

272 


GENEALOGY 


VI  Rev.  William,  son  of  John  and   Elizabeth   (Ripley)  Ad- 
ams, b.    Jan.    25,  1807  ;   m.    (i)   July  13,    1831,   Susan 
P.  Magoun  ;  she  d.    May   22,    1834;  m.    (2)   Aug.  12, 
1835,  Martha  B.  Magoun;  she  died  June  13,   1885.    He 
d.  Aug.   31,  1880.      He  had  children  : 
By  his  first  wife  : 
i  William,  who  was  b.  and  d.  Nov.  25,   1832. 

By  his  second  wife  : 
ii  William,  b.  Sept.   10,  1836  ;  d.  Dec.  i,  1836. 
iii  Thatcher  Magoun,  b.  Nov.  25,  1837  ;   m.  Jan.  5, 

1 87 1,  Frances  Robbins. 
iv  William,    b.    Jan.    31,    1S40  ;    m.    May    14,  1867, 
Helen    Coolidge.      He  d.  July  14,  1888.      They 
had  children  : 

1  Henry    Coolidge,    b.    Feb.  9,    1869  ;   m.  Feb. 

7,  1 89 1,  Clara  Corlies,  and  had  children: 

(1)  Dunbar  Wright,  b.  Nov.    15,   1891. 

(2)  Dorothy,  b.  March  2,  1893. 

2  William,     b.    March    26,    1870  ;    m.    Jan.    i, 

1894,     Alice     C.     Greenleaf.       They    had 

children  : 

(i)   William  Adams,  b.  Sept.   25,  1894. 

(2)  Lewis  Greenleaf   Adams,   b.    Nov.    23, 

1897. 

3  Thatcher,  b.  March  23,  1874. 

4  Margaret,   b.    March   31,  1876  ;  m.  Oct.  25, 

1S98,  Lewis  Stone  Greenleaf. 

5  John  Brown,  b.  June  19,  1877. 

6  Thomas  SafFord,  b.  Sept.   11,  1879 

V  Mary  Elizabeth,    b.    May  30,    1842  ;  m.    Nov.    9, 
1864,  John  Crosby  Brown.      They  had  children  : 

1  Rev.    William    Adams,  b.  Dec.  29,   1865  ;    m. 

March    30,    1892,   Helen  Gilman  Noyes,   and 
had  children: 

(i)  John  Crosby,  b.  Dec.  22,  1892. 
(2)  William  Adams,  b.  Nov.   14,  1894. 

2  Eliza  Coe,  b.   Sept.  8,  1868;  m.  Nov.  9,  1887, 

Rev.     Edward    Caldwell    Moore,    and     had 

children: 

(i)  Dorothea  May,  b.  May  13,  1894. 

(2)  John  Crosby  Brown,  b.  April  12,   1897. 

3  Mary  Magoun,  b.  Dec.  22,  1869. 

273 


GENEALOGY 


4  James    Crosby,   b.    Sept.    28,  18725   m.    Oct. 

13,  1898,  Mary  Agnes  Hewlett. 

5  Thatcher  Magoun,  b.  March  8,  1876 

6  Amy    Brighthurst,     b.    April     28,    1878  ;   m. 

Aug.  24,  1899,  Henry  Lockwood  de  Forest, 
vi  Susan    Magoun,    b.    Feb.    28,    1847;   m.    Feb.    8, 
1872,  Eugene  Delano.      They  had  children  : 

1  William  Adams*,  b.  Jan.  21,  1874. 

2  Martha   Magoun,   b.  July  24,  1875  5  d.  Aug. 

17,  1876. 

3  Moreau,  b.  June  14,  1877. 

4  Caroline,  b.  May  6,  1879. 

5  Susan  Magoun,  b.  March  13,  1883. 

6  Eugene,  b.  Feb.  26,  1887. 

vii  Henry  Stuart,  b.  April  8,  1849  5  ^-  C>ct.   10,  1852. 

VII   Harriet  Hannah,  dau.    of  John    and  Elizabeth  (Ripley) 

Adams,   b.    Jan.    14,    1809;  m.    Nov.    7,     1832,   Rev. 

J.  Q.   A.   Edgell  5  she  d.    May   12,    1866.      They    had 

children  : 

i  Susan   Elizabeth,  b.  April    11,  1834;    d.    Sept.    11, 

1839. 
ii  John  Adams,  b.  Nov.  13,  1835  ;  d.  July  28,  1839. 
iii  George  Cowles.  b.  Aug.  8,  1840;   d.   March   17, 

1851. 
iv  Harriet   Elizabeth,  b.  Oct.   19,  1847  ;  m.  Oct.   19, 
1869   Edward   Carter    Chamberlin.        They   had 
children  : 

1  Alice  Adams,  b.   Sept.  4,  1870. 

2  George  Ephraim,  b.  Jan.  17,  1873. 

3  Louise,  b.  March  4,  1876. 

4  Caroline,  b.  Sept.  26,  1878. 

5  Mary  Edgell,  b.  Dec.  2,  1880. 

6  Harriet  Adams,  b.  Oct.  12,  1882. 

7  Edward  Carter,  b.  Sept.  6,  1885. 

8  Stephen  Edgell,  b.  Feb.  9,  1889. 

VIII  Abby  Ann,  dau.  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Ripley)  Adams, 
born     March     10,    i8ii;m.  (i)  Sept.    i,     1833,     Rev. 

A.    M.    Egerton.       He  died .      She    m.    (2)  June 

9,     1842,    Richard    McAllister    Orme.      She    d.     Nov. 
1,  1890.      They  had  children  : 


*  Graduated  from  Yale  College  in   1895,  one  hundred  years  after  his 
great-grandfather,  John  Adams,  LL.  D. 

274 


GENEALOGY 


i  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  Feb.  6,  1844;  m.  Nov.  2, 
1769,  Rev.  William  Flinn,  D.D.;  shed.  Aug.  8, 
1871  ;  they  had  a  son  : 

1   Richard  Ornie,  b.   Aug.    8,  1870  ;  m.    March 
8,  1898,  Anna  Emery, 
ii  John    Adams,    b.    Dec.    27,   1845  ;   m.    April    15, 

1S74,  Olivia  J.  Bates, 
iii  William    Archibald,  b.    Jan.    10,    1849;  m.    Nov. 

12,  1872,  Susan  Heath, 
iv  Anna    Ripley,    b.    Sept.     27,     1851  ;  m.    May  4, 
1880,  Charles  P.  Crawford.     He  d.   1900.    They 
had  children: 

1  Mary  Abby,  b.  Feb.  6,  1881. 

2  Mabel  Hamilton,  b.  Sept.  3,  1886. 
v  Edward  Dunning,  b.  Feb.  27,  1853. 

IX  Emily  Jane,  dau.    of  John  and    Elizabeth    (Ripley)  Ad- 
ams, b.  Jan.  2,  1813  ;  m.  May  8,  1845,  Joseph  H.  Ban- 
croft.     He  died  May  20,  1899.      They  had  children  : 
i   A  son,  b.  Aug.   15,  1846,  d.  at  birth, 
ii  John   Adams,  b.    Aug.    15,    1846  ;  m.    Dec.    17, 
1872,  OUie  Downing.      They  had  children  : 

1  Zula,  b.  Feb.  5,  1874. 

2  John  Adams,  d.  Feb.  19,  1876. 

iii  Joseph  H.,  b.  June  13,  1848  ;  d.  Oct.  28,  1848. 
iv  Emily  Adams,   b.    Sept.    25,    1849  5  '^-    Oct.    15, 

1853- 
V  William  Adams,  b.  Aug.  26,    i860;  m.   Jan.   19, 

1888,  Emily  B.  Topping.      They  had   children: 

1  McGregor  Adams,  b.  Nov.    25,    1888. 

2  Gladys    Topping,   b.  Feb.    2,   1894;    d.  Aug. 
5,  1894. 

3  Lora  Atwood,  b.  Aug.   16,   1898. 

X  Henry  Parker,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Ripley)  Ad- 
ams, b.  April  30,  181 5  ;  d.  April  5,  1816. 
XI  Phoebe  Phillips,  dau.  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Ripley) 
Adams,  b.  July  24,  1817  ;  m.  Sept.  8,  1840,  William 
A.  Campbell.  He  d.  Nov.  5,  1859.  She  d.  April  25, 
1843.      They  had  a  child  : 

I    Emily    Adams,     b.    July   25,    1841  ;  d.    Sept. 
26,  1842. 


27  s 


I 

N  I; 


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